To Be Human Prelude
by Melinda-chan
Summary: Last Chapter Uploaded! Rin and Nobu says their goodbyes, but will they see each other again? Includes minibio, fic recommendations, author notes and more!
1. Rescued

**To Be Human (Prelude)**

**By Melinda-chan**

This is my first Inu-Yasha fic so I hope I get everything right. Readers that are more familiar with the anime and manga are welcome to note any mistakes and contact me. I am very excited about this story so without further delay, let the story begin!

Jaken was getting impatient. He was with Rin in the forest alone. He watched for any demons that could be lurking nearby ready to take the young girl. As much as he hated to take care of the mortal, he feared Sesshoumaru even more.

"I need to go really bad", Rin told him.

"Well do it then!" Jaken said not hiding his irritation. "Go to that tree and do your business!" He was getting tired of this.

"You will be nearby?" Rin asked. What choice did Jaken have?

"Of course I will!" Jaken responded. "Now go and do it already! I do not want for Sesshoumaru-sama to be waiting!"

Rin walked away from the small demon. Once she was sure that he was not looking at her, she lifted up her kimono. She knew that Jaken only put up with her due to Sesshoumaru-sama. Still she was happy being with the great dog demon and his lackey. Seeshoumaru-sama had saved her life and let her follow her and protect her from demons, this despite the fact that Sesshoumaru-sama didn't like humans.

What human being after her parents died ever did that to her?

As she relieved herself next to a tree, a dark green snake with yellow stripes was spying on her. He watched without shame as the girl put down her kimono. He made a hissing sound that would not be audible to human ears. He came closer opening his fangs in preparation. The blood of this little girl would make a perfect meal for Himitsu, the snake demon.

It was then that Rin heard something on the ground. She turned around but it was too late to run before the snake bit her on her left hand.

Jaken was startled by a loud scream. What trouble could the human brat got herself into? He ran as fast as possible only to see Rin lying down on the ground. Himitsu was lapping the blood from her hand gleefully.

"A snake-" Jaken did not finish his words before the snake demon, startled by his presence, used his long body to whack his staff out of his hand. Jaken rushed to catch it but the small demon was thrown against a tree and lost consciousness. The snake demon retuned to licking the blood from the girl's hand. It was such a rare treat for him- a child in the forest alone. The poison from his fangs would spread in the body and the child would quickly die. Already the girl's eyes were glazing over.

"Himitsu! Your evil deeds stop now!" a boy's voice made the dark green snake look to the left. He let go of the girl and hissed. He knew from previous encounters who this boy is and what he can do.

"Nobu", the demon hissed. "You think you can interrupt my meal?"

"This is going to be your last meal, evil snake demon!" the boy declared. He held up the sword. The tip was already shaking.

"I am sssooo ssscccared", the snake demon shook his tail mockedly. "Ssspppare me".

"You should be scared", Nobu said, either not noticing the mock or not fazed by it. "Once I unleash the power of my sword, you will be helpless while I cut off your head!"

"Kukukuku", Himitsu chuckled. He then narrowed his yellow eyes. "I like you to try it".

"Then I shall! Holy Sword Shock Wave Attack!" Nobu yelled at the top of his lungs. The tip of his sword crackled with energy. Himitsu was not deterred. As soon as the sword hit the ground, he leaped up body and all.

"You misss!! And now I ssshhhall devour you!" the dark green snake declared, opening his mouth ready to bite. Just then the boy raised his left arm. It was covered with rosary beads and a paper talisman that read "Lightning" in kanji.

The snake demon reacted immediately. He used every ounce of his muscles to turn away from landing on the boy's left arm. He then landed on the ground behind him. The demon saw that the boy had on his back a similar talisman.

"I ssshhhall be back", Himitsu said. Before the boy could turn and face him again, Himitsu had disappeared into the trees.

"He's gone. I almost had him too!" the priest-looking boy exclaimed. Just then he saw a small demon that looked somewhat like a toad lying unconscious next to a tree. He put the sword over the demon's head. "I may not be able to kill Himitsu today but I can still kill this demon". He was about to thrust the sword into the demon when he heard a little moan. He turned around. The sound came from the girl who was jerking on the ground in pain. She was still alive?

"The poison hasn't killed her yet but she needs help fast!" He put his sword back into his sash and picked her up. Her eyes were nearly closed. "The poison should have killed her by now! She is strong! But I must take her home or she'll not survive!" So the boy ran off, hoping that he will have enough time to save her.

It was some time later now since Jaken was knocked out. He regained consciousness and managed to open his eyes. At once he wished that he didn't. For Sesshoumaru was looking right at him with the normal stoic face of his. Jaken, however, knew that he was not pleased.

"Where is Rin?" the dog demon demanded. His voice was emotionless as usual but Jaken had a bad feeling that unless he could come up with a good answer, it would not be wise to be around him.

"Sesshoumaru-sama! It-it wasn't my fault! This snake demon came and-" Jaken was stopped when the dog demon clutched his throat.

"And do you know where this snake demon went?" Sesshoumaru inquired. He then loosed the grip around the small demon's throat.

"I don't know Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jaken croaked. "The snake demon knocked me out but the girl she is-"

"Not here", Sesshoumaru finished. Jaken looked surprised. He then looked at the spot where he last saw Rin and the snake demon. No one was there.

"But my lord! I saw the girl and the snake demon there!" Jaken protested. He then heard Sesshoumaru sniffing the air. Sesshoumaru dropped the little demon and went down to the tree. Sesshoumaru bent down and sniffed the ground.

"Rin was here by this tree", Sesshoumaru said. "I can smell her blood and urine". He then sniffed again at the ground. "There was another human as well".

"Another human my lord?" Jaken asked, puzzled. "All I saw there beside Rin was the snake demon".

"What did this demon look like?" Sesshoumaru asked.

"It was green with yellow stripes", Jaken told him.

'Himitsu', the dog demon thought. 'This is where you are now'. He then closed his eyes, focusing all his senses to his nose. He then opened his eyes. "I know where Rin and the other human went".

"Oh?" Jaken said. He then saw his staff, the Staff of Skulls, on the ground. He ran to it, retrieved it and went back to his lord. "What are you doing to do now my lord?" Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes.

"First of all, I shall find where the human took Rin", Sesshoumaru then smirked. "Then I shall find the snake demon that spilled her blood".

"Of course!" Jaken said. He really wanted to leave Rin with the human but he knew better than to argue with Sesshoumaru-sama. 'One of these days she will be your downfall. You are not meant to have such a measly human at your side. Still I shall serve you loyally until that day comes', Jaken thought.

"Jaken are you coming?" the white dog demon inquired.

"Of course! I was just thinking!" the toad-looking demon replied, feeling a bit embarrassed that he made his lord impatient.

"Thinking about what?" Sesshoumaru asked. This really put Jaken on the spot. He decided to lie.

"I was thinking about the human that took Rin", Jaken told him. "Suppose the person took her to a village, then what? She could be dead too. The venom of a snake demon can be very poisonous my lord".

"If she got to a village she would get help. If not she would die", Sesshoumaru answered. "In that case you will die too". This shook Jaken up. He knew that Sesshoumaru hold him responsible for Rin when he was not there. For his sake he had to hope that the girl didn't die. "But I will kill the snake demon first".

"Should-should we go find it then?" Jaken asked him. Sesshoumaru walked forward without replying. Jaken hustled behind him. "I am coming my lord!"

A minute after they were gone, Himitsu went down a tree. The snake demon knew who Sesshoumaru is so he made certain that he didn't make any noise lest the demon lord heard him. It was apparent to him that Rin was the girl that he tried to kill earlier. He remembered the taste of her blood. He liked it and wanted to have it again. This led him to thinking.

'Thisss child isss important to him, hm? I mussst make her come back to me. Her blood wasss deliciousss and I could ussse her asss bait to defeat the great demon lord. How to do it, though, isss the quessstion. I ssshhhould think about it', Himitsu then went up a tree and stayed there until the next day.

In the meantime the boy, Nobu, had taken her to his home and laid her on a futon. He and his grandmother, a grey-haired lady, were watching over her. The girl now had paper talismans all over her body.

"She is strong but I don't know if the paper talismans will help her", Nobu said to his grandmother. The grey-haired woman looked down at the girl.

"Those paper talismans would keep the demonic venom at bay but only her will to live will save her", the woman told him. Nobu put the prayer beads in his hands into his lap. He looked sadly at the girl. Despite having various o-fudas all over her body, he could see her face still jerking from time to time. The poison was still seeking to regain control.

"I will go to the altar and pray to Buddha. Perhaps he can help her", Nobu uttered. The woman nodded.

"Do as you wish my grandson. There is nothing we can do now until she revives. That is, if she does", his grandmother said.

"She will survive", her grandson said in a determined voice. "I cannot allow that evil snake demon to take another life. I swear in the name of Buddha that no more souls will be going to the other world because of him. She will not die". His grandmother looked at him studying his face. He then pushed open the room separator and left the room. She then went back to watching the girl.

'I cannot blame him' she thought. 'It has been a year since his parents' death and he still feels responsible for what Himitsu did to them. The snake demon does need to be destroyed.' She then kneeled closer to the girl. She opened her left eyelid. Her eye was still glazed. She closed it.

"You're fighting but it is going to be a long battle. I do hope that you will win. My grandson has seen so much destruction and death from the snake demon that I do not know what will happen if you die", the old woman spoke in a low voice. "I shall stay here until Nobu returns. I will make some tea for him as well. I have a feeling that he will not want to leave your side for a long time".

In the meantime, Nobu was praying in front of a grand statue of a sitting Buddha. As he used the prayer beads in his hands as he finished a prayer, he hoped that the girl is one step closer to winning the fight against the poison in her body. He felt that only Buddha and her will to live could help her now.

End of Chapter One

This is my first Inu-Yasha fic so I hope it was good. Will Rin survive the night? If she does, how will she react when she finds out where she is? And what will Himitsu do to taste Rin's blood again? You have to wait until the next chapter. Inu-Yasha was created by Rumiko Takahashi. A big thanks to YTV for (finally!) showing the anime in Canada and for Chris Rijk for his online manga translations. Do not forget to review!


	2. Rin Awakes

Chapter Two of "To Be Human- Prelude"

**By Melinda-chan**

Thanks to all who reviewed! I really appreciate it. Now that is done with, let the second chapter begin!

"I place my faith in Amida Buddha".

After Nobu recited the prayer, he looked up at the statue of the golden Buddha. The Buddha was in a meditative stance sitting in a lotus position. Nobu felt the prayer beads in his hands. He could not hear anything from the rest of the house, which meant that the girl has not yet awaken. He got up and left the altar room.

He pushed open the room separator. He saw his grandmother still watching over the girl. The gray-haired woman had her eyes closed and was breathing softly. He went down to the long black-haired girl who was on the floor unconscious. Her left sleeve of her orange and white kimono was partially red with blood. A red puffy mark could be seen on her left hand, indicating the bite. With his gloved hands, he pressed the skin toward the bite mark. Her hand flinched but she remained in a comalike state.

"You cannot drain the poison that way my grandson" the woman spoke. The boy nodded and let go of the girl's hand.

"Has she woken up at all?" Nobu asked.

"I am afraid not", she replied. Nobu looked down at the girl sadly. The prayer beads slipped from his hands and onto her left hand. She stirred. She then opened her eyes. She looked at his dark eyes. He looked puzzled. He then realized something.

"Prayer beads! They can be used to keep demonic elements at bay, like curses, spells and… poisons! Grandmother, give me more prayer beads!" Nobu commanded. The woman got up and left quickly. The boy held onto the girl's left hand. She now looked at him with half-closed eyes. Her lips then moved.

"Where-" she began to say before his eyes closed. Her face and left hand writhed in pain. The boy held her in his arms. He became anxious.

"Grandmother! Please hurry!" he yelled.

"I am coming", the grey-haired woman called back. She pushed aside the paper screen, carrying prayer beads of various colours in her hands.

"Grandmother, put them down so I can wrap them around her", Nobu ordered. "She will be able to wake up again". His grandmother obeyed, placing the prayer beads in his hands. He put a rosary with white, black and brown beads around her neck and another pure white rosary around her left hand. He then spoke to the girl.

"Wake up! You are safe now!" he said.

The girl opened her eyes and went back in terror. She trembled greatly.

'What is wrong with her? She acts like she is scared of me!' Nobu thought. He then spoke out loud. "Do not be scared of me. I rescued you from Himitsu, the snake demon. The poison is still inside you so do not love too much", Nobu told her. "I will not hurt you. I give you my promise".

As for Rin, she was at first startled when she saw a boy leaning over her. The memories of Kohaku were still fresh in her mind. But when she realized it was not Kohaku, she calmed down. Indeed, this boy's eyes had a sparkle in them, something that Kohaku's eyes did not possess.

"Where am I?" Rin asked.

"You're inside my home", the boy explained. "Don't worry about that snake demon trying to get you again. There are demon wards all over the house and a barrier around the village. No demon can enter".

Rin immediately became worried. She thought about Sesshoumaru-sama her beloved lord. She had to find him. She stood up and started to walk out of the room. The boy got up as well and took hold of her.

"Where are you going? You have still not fully healed from the poison", he told her. She struggled against him. He let go and he ran. He went after her. His grandmother, who was in another room preparing tea, heard the commotion and went after them.

She needed to find Sesshoumaru-sama. That is the one thought that ran through Rin's mind. She did not care how sick she was. Sesshoumaru-sama had Tenseiga, the sword that could heal her. However, her eyes could not see anything, and she suddenly felt very weak.

She collapsed onto the ground, shivering as the poison took advantage of her agitated state and her fatigued body. She felt nauseated and cold.

"I think she fell down Grandmother!" she heard the boy yell. She could not resist him as he picked her up. "She is shivering badly". She then felt his arm touch her forehead. "She is sweating badly as well".

"Her body is doing everything possible to get rid of the poison", Rin heard an old woman say. "We must get her back and let her rest. Even with all the talismans and prayer beads on her, her body still needs time to fight the poison. We must take turns watching over her as she sleeps. I was preparing a tea to help her break sweat but her sudden rush to the outside achieved that. Now let's get back inside".

Rin slumped against the boy's chest. She knew now that she could not escape that night. Sesshoumaru-sama probably didn't know what happened to her. Tears came into her eyes as the boy gently carried her back to the house. She wanted to see her beloved Sesshoumaru-sama. She feared not seeing him even more than the poison or death itself. Yet her body refused to cooperate with her heart and so her attempt at escape was foiled. Sesshoumaru-sama would be looking for her soon enough. Even if he could not enter the village, he would at least know where she is. She had to wait until she was strong enough to escape and then rejoin her dog demon lord and Jaken-sama. With her heart set, she quickly allowed her body to sleep.

Rin was only half-right. She would not be able to see Sesshoumaru that night. However, Sesshoumaru was fully aware about what happened to her. Not only because Jaken had told him about what the snake demon did to her but because he witnessed with Jaken her attempt to escape from the sky. They were on An and Un, the two-headed dragon, as they flew above the village.

"That was Rin, was it Sesshoumaru-sama?" Jaken asked. His senses weren't as keen as his lord though he thought that he could recognize Rin even in the darkness.

"Yes" came Sesshoumaru's response. "You're right. She has been poisoned by a snake demon. I could smell her sweat and the poison from up here". Jaken then heard knuckles crack. "I shall find Himitsu and kill him with my claws if I have to. He has cowardly hidden himself from me but he knows that he cannot hide forever". Jaken nodded his small head.

"Himitsu was rebellious even when your father was alive and he still hasn't accepted your power. He cannot continue to challenge your authority like this, Sesshoumaru-sama. He may not that Rin is your ward but I believe that he would have tried to kill her anyway", Jaken told his lord.

"He shall die soon. Maybe not tonight but soon", the dog demon said in a low voice. "Rin is too sick to go anywhere. We should concentrate on finding Himitsu and killing him. Knowing a demon like him he would not be satisfied until he finishes what he starts. He would want to take Rin. He would not be satisfied with just a taste of her".

"Should we get Rin then?" Jaken questioned. "She would not be safe in the village".

Jaken suddenly felt his master take his staff from him. The small demon almost lost his balance as he did so. Sesshoumaru then poked him, causing him to fall.

"My lord-" Jaken started to say. He flapped his arms but of course he couldn't fly. He had no choice but to prepare for a very long fall into the middle of the human village.

But instead of landing on the ground, he landed on what seemed to be an invisible roof that repelled him back up. He flapped up his arms once more as An and Un swooped down so Sesshoumaru could catch him. They then flew back up in the sky.

"Now can you understand why we should leave Rin alone?" Sesshoumaru asked him. Jaken was shaken up. Well it wasn't much different than the time his lord used Tenseiga on him to show that the sword could not kill. Still the fact that he did not get a warning shook him inside. He had a feeling that he would not do the same thing to Rin. Was he worth less than a human girl?

"Well, Jaken, I do want an answer", Sesshoumaru said sternly. Jaken straightened himself.

"I see. There is a barrier over the village", Jaken replied. Sesshoumaru handed him the Staff of Skulls back. He took it happily.

"Not only is it over the village but it is around it as well", Sesshoumaru explained. "Unless the source of the village is cut off, Himitsu cannot enter and find Rin. She is safe from him. She will be able to heal from the poison though it is going to take a long time".

"How long would it take?" Jaken questioned.

"At least two weeks or so. She would be able to move around without the poison trying to take her by then. After that, it would depend on her body and her will to get over the poison. We have witnesses her strong will. It is her body that has to pull through", Sesshoumaru told him.

"So what are we going to do between finding Himitsu and getting Rin back?" Jaken asked.

"We cannot go far from this village. If Rin manages to escape like she tried to do tonight, we got to find her or she will die. If Himitsu is still alive, he will undoubtedly try to kill her. And your own life shall be forfeited", Sesshoumaru said. Jaken felt a lump in his throat. Sesshoumaru had to remind him that again.

"If the barrier stays put, then we do not have to worry except for that", Jaken responded. "Himitsu is bound to show up sooner or later. Then you can get rid of that rebel once and for all!"

"Yes", Sesshoumaru said, smiling a bit. "I look forward to that". He then looked all over the area. "Take us to the forest. We shall wait until Himitsu shows his face to me there" he commanded An and Un. So the two-headed dragon went straight to the forest.

Little did the three demons know, perhaps because there were no noise made, that there were three long snakelike forms hidden in the grass below. Their ultra-sensitive ears heard everything. Once the two-headed dragon carried its two occupants to the forest and became out of sight, the snakelike forms slithered back to the forest but in a different direction. By the time the sun rises, Himitsu would wake up and then they would be ready.

Would Rin fully recover from the poison that Himitsu gave her? Would Nobu and his grandmother be able to help her? Would she try to run away again? Would Himitsu be able to get both Rin and Sesshoumaru? Or would Sesshoumaru get him before he can get Rin? You have to wait for the third chapter to find out. Inu-Yasha was created by Rumiko Takahashi. Thanks to YTV for (finally!) showing the anime in Canada and to Chris Rijk for his online manga translations. Please do not forget to review!


	3. Sesshoumaru Is Wounded

Chapter of "To Be Human: Prelude"

**By Melinda-chan**

Thanks to all who review! I really appreciate it. I am trying to be consistent with my knowledge of Inu-Yasha and what I feel can happen in a fic. It is a great challenge for a fanfiction writer to do so, unless it is an AU fic. Still it is one that I happily accept.

I know that all of you want to read the third chapter now, so let it begin!

The night had faded into a light grey. The sun had not yet come up. It was dusk. In the forest next to the village, very little could be heard. However, not every creature was asleep.

Jaken looked at his lord as the white-haired demon laid against a tree. His eyes were closed but Jaken could tell he was still awake. He dropped his guard before when Himitsu almost killed Rin. She was in the village, recovering from the poison. Jaken wanted to make sure that the same thing would not happen to Sesshoumaru-sama.

Jaken sat down next to him. His lord was so still. 'Look at him resting. He is conserving energy until the sun comes up and Himitsu appears. That foolish snake! He should know better than to hide from Sesshoumaru-sama! My lord shall defeat him now that he has Toukijin!' he thought.

"Jaken, we're surrounded", the voice of Sesshoumaru alerted the small demon. The fluffy, white-haired demon had his eyes open. He then stood up, ready for battle. All of a sudden a dozen long snakelike forms with no eyes came out from almost all directions at them. Jaken extended his staff.

"Do it", Sesshoumaru commanded, knowing what Jaken was going to do. He himself had his poisonous claws ready. Without any hesitation, Jaken let the old man's head give out a blast of flame at the snakes.

"Stay away from Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jaken yelled. "I'll not let you hurt Sesshoumaru-sama!"

Jaken successfully destroyed them all but more snakes appeared. Jaken tried to destroy them again but a few managed to escape this time. Sesshoumaru destroyed them with his claws. More appeared.

"They are so many!" Jaken exclaimed. Sweat came down his face as he realized he could not destroy them all. "I cannot take them all!"

"That won't be necessary", Sesshoumaru told him. He brought out his whip from his right hand and hit a few snakes with it. They vanished instantly. "They are not real".

"What?" Jaken then saw Sesshoumaru hit a few more snakes. They too disappeared without a trace of blood. "They are only illusions?"

"Yes", his lord answered. In an instant more snakes came out from all the directions. Jaken ducked as the demon lord whirled the whip around until all the snakes vanished at its touch. Jaken waited until he stopped to raise his head.

"Did any of them touch you, Sesshoumaru-sama?" Jaken asked, concerned.

"I am fine Jaken", Sesshoumaru replied curtly. He looked down at the ground. "They were not real so they could hurt us".

"That is good to hear, but why did Himitsu send illusions that could not hurt us?" Jaken asked. Sesshoumaru looked at the sky.

"The sun has not risen. He is not at his full power yet so maybe he thought he could wear us down before the sun rises", the dog demon replied. He looked ahead. "We must find Himitsu before the sun rises and he will be-"

"Watch out-" Jaken's warning almost came too late. Sesshoumaru turned around only to have a snakelike form take a bite out of his left shoulder. Blood came out. Jaken gasped and the dog demon looked just as shocked.

Fortunately, he managed to grab the snake with his right (usable) hand. He squeezed it until blood poured out of its mouth. Jaken was by himself as he saw his master's blood drip down on his own clothes.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, does it have poison? Are you okay my lord?" Jaken asked. He got a little closer though not too close since the snake was still moving. Sesshoumaru appeared not to hear him. Instead he glanced at his left shoulder.

'My left shoulder and arm are going numb. I must get rid of this snake now before I cannot move at all' Sesshoumaru thought. He then tossed it into the air. The snake opened its mouth hoping for a second bite. However, the chance never came as Sesshoumaru brought out Toukijin and destroyed it with the sword. The snake let out a black liquid that the dog demon managed to avoid. It was then that Jaken came to him.

"Are you okay now? Did it poison you?" Jaken questioned. Sesshoumaru put back Toukijin then put his right hand on the wound. His hand became covered in blood.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" Jaken sounded. It was then that the dog demon finally responded to him.

"I am wounded but it is not a severe one", he answered. "However I do believe I am poisoned". Jaken gasped.

"But how? I thought you said the snakes were not real!" Jaken said.

"This one contained a bit of Himitsu's poison", the white-haired demon explained. "Himitsu must have given his venom to this one. He would know I would not be able to detect it until it's too late".

"So he is going to fight us using illusions? What a coward!" Jaken voiced. He then saw Sesshoumaru hunched over. "Are you okay my lord?"

"I am going numb on my left side but I am not dying", Sesshoumaru said.

"How do you know that the poison is not lethal?" Jaken questioned.

"I do not feel Tenseiga's power", Sesshoumaru answered. "I am not dying but I am getting numb all over."

"We should go somewhere where you can recover, my lord. It is going to be dawn very soon and Himitsu will be out. He will be looking to finish you off", Jaken said. Sesshoumaru did not reply. "You know, my lord, I did see a spring close by. We could go to it while you wait until you're healed".

"Do it!" Sesshoumaru ordered. He wanted to say more but he decided not to. His throat was going numb. He went to An and Un, who lowered itself so Sesshoumaru could go on it more easily. Jaken followed him.

"I'll take you there right away, my lord. Let's hope that you get healed soon or Himitsu will take advantage of your weakened state and strike", Jaken said. He then turned to the two-headed dragon. "Take us to the spring quickly! Sesshoumaru-sama must recover in peace!" he commanded. An and Un complied.

'Don't worry my lord. I'll not let Himitsu or any of his illusions hurt you again. He'll have to deal with me first before he even touches a hair of yours,' Jaken thought. They were now in the sky. As for Sesshoumaru, he took one look back in the direction of the village where Rin is in. As much as he was wounded, he knew that Rin felt even worse. Himitsu will feel his claws or Toukijin for sure. And the sooner, the better.

The robed boy wiped the girl's face with the wet small furoshiki cloth. The grey-haired woman, his grandmother, looked at them. She held a steaming cup of tea in her hands.

"Drink a cup of gem-dew tea my grandson", the woman said. He offered his hands to her which she placed the cup in. ("Gem-dew" tea is a fine green tea. The Japanese name is gyokuru.)

"Thank you Grandmother", Nobu said politely. He took a sip of it and rested it in his lap. His grandmother sat down next to him. She looked at him as his eyes glanced down at the girl. His grandmother waited for a moment.

"What are you thinking?" his grandmother asked.

"I wonder where she came from", Nobu said. "I do not think she came from the nearby villages. Not the ones I go to".

"She is certainly not from our village", his grandmother nodded. "Did you saw anyone nearby when you rescued her?" He almost hesitated.

"No," the boy answered. "I did see an unconscious demon nearby. It was a small demon and I would have killed it if the girl did not made a noise. As far as I know, Himitsu did not bite it". His grandmother put her hand to her chin and looked thoughtful.

"Do you suppose that the demon may have tried to go to her only for Himitsu to stop it?" his grandmother suggested.

"It is the only logical thing that I can think right now. The demon must have heard her but he did not hear Himitsu. That is the only explanation", the boy said. He then took a long sip of the tea. "It was just a small demon but one never knows what it could do".

"So what are you going to do with the girl?" his grandmother questioned.

"She is going to stay here while she recovers. She cannot leave this village, not until I destroy Himitsu" he then put the cup of tea on the floor next to him. "In the meantime I should go to the nearby villages and get the older men here. Maybe one of them will recognize her. If not, we'll wait for a week for someone to come. I cannot imagine her being on her own. I am sure that someone will be looking for her".

"If not?" his grandmother said.

"If no one comes looking for her by the time she is fully recovered, we would have to arrange for her to be adopted by a family", he then put a hand on his head. "I feel sleepy. I should rest". He then removed the prayer beads from his left hand and put it on the girl's chest. She did not stir. "Grandmother, could you please place my futon bed close to the girl? In case she wakes up, I want to be nearby".

"Yes my grandson", the old woman said. She left the room. When she came back, she saw that her grandson was on the floor next to the girl. She untied the boy's sash and removed his sword. She then removed the talismans from his neck and clothes. She then rolled out the futon and carried him to it. She placed his sword and charms next to him.

"Rest well Nobu. I have put a relaxant herb in the tea so you will not be exhausted when the day comes. You try so hard to be like your father but you're only a boy. Most sons of priests are still learning the way but you were forced to bear the responsibility after Himitsu killed all the priests and most of the menfolk. It is a burden that I did not want to carry, not at your age. Still I am proud of what you have achieved", the woman picked up the cup. "In an hour I shall get breakfast prepared. It is going to be a busy day". She then looked at the girl. "You have a long way to go but the fact that you survived this night bodes well. May Buddha grant you strength. You are strong inside but your body is still weak. I just hope that the strength inside does not waver". With that, the old woman left the room.

Outside, the sky had turned blue and the sun had risen from the east. A new day has begun.

End of Chapter Three

This is the third chapter of the prelude. I am happy that a few people has read and reviewed my story. I am so proud of it so far. I intend each chapter to be five or six pages long. This way I can keep my outline simple and get more people interested. The next chapter will focus on Rin. I hope people will like it. Inu-Yasha was created by Rumiko Takahashi. Thanks to YTV for (finally!) showing the anime in Canada and Chris Rijk for his online manga translations. Please do not forget to review!


	4. Morning Breaks

****

Chapter Four of "To Be Human: Prelude"

By Melinda-chan

Rin felt like cold water was being poured on top of her head. It cooled the fire within her body, seeping into her sore muscles and burning organs. It was then that she realized that someone had placed a cold cloth on her head. She opened her eyes to see an old woman pounding herbs with a pestle and mortar. The room separator facing west and north was removed and she could see a pot boiling at her left.

"Babaa…" she spoke. The old woman continued to work. Did she hear her?

"Babaa-chan!" Rin raised her voice. This time the woman stopped working. She put down the pestle and came at her side. ("Babaa-chan" is a respectful way of addressing an old woman. Kagome said this when addressing Kaede in the original Japanese version of Inu-Yasha.)

"What is it? Are you better?" the woman asked.

"Where is Rin?" Rin asked her. The woman smiled.

"Rin is in Nobu's village. I am Toyoka," the old woman replied.

"Nobu?" Rin asked. Toyoka glanced at the still-sleeping boy.

"That is my grandson. He is sleeping next to you," Toyoka explained.

"Nobu is this boy?" Rin questioned. Was he the one that rescued her?

"Yes. We do not have a priest since last year so Nobu studies the scriptures, conducts ceremonies and wears a priest's robe suitable for his size and succeeded his dead father. He is only a boy though. He tires himself out a lot and I have to give him a relaxant from time to time," Toyoka explained. She then looked at Rin who was looking up at her. "Do you want to eat?" She got no reply. "I can give miso soup for you. It is nutritious and it will make you stronger to fight the poison!"

"Yes Babaa-chan," Rin said. She wants to be strong. Besides a little soup sound good to her.

"I'll make you some soup then," Toyoka said. "Close your eyes and rest. I have to wait until the rice is done. I'll tell you when the soup is ready." Rin nodded and went back onto the futon and closed her eyes.

A little while later, Rin heard the woman call her name. She opened her eyes but found she couldn't get up.

"I see that you are still weak," the old woman said. "Let me help you."

"It is all right Babaa-chan," Rin said. She tried to raise her head. She slowly did so but her neck felt like she had slept on a hot stone. She almost dropped on the floor. The grey-haired woman held on to her.

"You should not rush it, child," she said. "You have been bitten by a very poisonous snake demon that have killed many people. You're lucky that you are still alive but you should do things slowly."

Rin felt like pushing her away. She was so frustrated with herself. She was sure that Sesshoumaru-sama could heal her with Tenseiga if he was nearby. She then felt scared. After all, she was just a little human girl and he was a powerful demon. She was sure that he could find where she is now. But would he ever consider it?

"Is something wrong?" Toyoka asked. She saw Rin's worried face.

"No Babaa-chan," Rin answered. "Please give me the soup."

"You must sip it slowly," the woman said. "It would be still hot."

Rin slowly nodded as the woman put her on the futon and then went to the pot. She put the white miso soup into a bowl and brought the bowl to Rin's lips. She drank.

The miso soup was indeed hot but compared to the fire inside her body it was cooling. She felt a little better. However, her head began to sweat more.

"That is good. The poison is coming out," the old woman said. She grabbed the same furoshiki cloth that she used before on Rin and wiped the sweat away. She took the bowl (it was three-quarters empty) and placed her in her lap. Rin put her head back. Toyoka brushed her hair aside from her face.

"Tell me, how do you feel now?" she asked her.

"I feel a fire inside me. It hurts all over," Rin replied.

"I see. How is your left hand?" the woman questioned. Rin raised her left hand. It was still covered with the prayer beads. The bite mark was clearly seen.

"I feel a little pain," Rin answered. She moved her hand. "In fact it is a little better."

"Is that so?" Toyoka asked. "Let me see." She then slowly removed the prayer beads from her hand. Immediately after the last one was removed, Rin felt a surge of pain and tears came forth from her eyes. Her hand shook.

"It hurts!" Rin managed to say. The old woman immediately wrapped the prayer beads around her hand as fast as she could.

"I am so sorry child! I guess it is too soon," Toyoka apologized. Rin felt very bad inside but couldn't speak. Instead she fell back onto the woman and stayed there. "Do you wish to be on the futon?" Rin slowly nodded so Toyoka put her onto the futon and placed the cover over it. She then picked up the bowl. She heaved a heavy sigh and returned to preparing breakfast. At the same time the sun shone through the paper windows.

"Do you recognize her?" Rin heard Nobu's voice when she woke up. She saw several men look down at her. She had no cover on her. She cringed inside. The room screens had been removed entirely. Rin laid there nervously.

"I am sorry Nobu-sama. I do not recognize this girl," one of the men told him.

"I do not recognize this girl either," another man said.

"She did not come from my village," another man spoke. The other men shook their heads.

"This girl apparently did not come from this area, Nobu. Are you sure she didn't say where exactly is her village?" the man closest to Nobu asked him. By the way he said Nobu's name it was apparent that the man was an authority figure.

"She spoke nothing about her village," the boy replied. He then looked at Rin. "It appears that she is awake. Do you want me to ask her?"

"We may find out where her village is and tell her people what happened," the man told him. Rin tensed. What was she supposed to say?

"Little girl, please, tell us where your village is. I am very sure that someone wants to know where you are," Nobu said. Rin felt her lips move but nothing came out.

"What is wrong? Can she not speak?" the man asked. Rin still said nothing. He went closer to her. "I am Toshiki. I rule this village. You can stay here as long as you can but we still wish to know where you are from. Are you able to speak?" She continued to say nothing. She did not like the stern look he gave her. She did not like this man. She did not like Toshiki.

"She is very ill Toshiki-sama. She must rest much longer," Nobu told him.

"Very well," Toshiki said. He turned to the other men. "Do any of you recognize this girl?" All shook their heads. "I see. Nobu, you and your grandmother should take care of this girl. When she is well, you should make an effort to find her village. She might be an orphan but we need to make sure no one is looking for her."

"I understand Toshiki-sama. If you all don't recognize this girl, then you should all return to your respective villages and continue with your duties," Nobu told them. They all bowed submissively to the boy.

"As you wish, Nobu-sama," they said. One of the men looked at Rin.

"We will inform you if someone comes looking for a girl. We'll dispatch a man immediately," he said.

"Thank you village heads. You can go now," Nobu said. Most left.

"May Buddha grant this girl a quick recovery," one of the men said before he left.

"May Buddha reunite this girl with her loved ones," another man said before he left. The only ones in the house were Nobu, Rin and Toshiki, the head of Nobu's village.

"Nobu, I do not want Himitsu to claim any more victims as much as you do. Therefore, I do not object you taking care of this girl. However, I must remind you that you are the priest of this village and thus are obligated to do your services. That is your main responsibility," Toshiki said. Rin felt mad inside. The boy saved her from death and is helping her and this man is telling him what to do!

"I have not forgotten my duties, my lord. My grandmother is out collecting herbs to help her. I already had put rosary beads and paper talismans to prevent the venom from taking over her body. Do not forget that the priest's main concerns are for the lives and salvation of the people he serve. I am sure that you will not hinder in my goal".

"Of course not," Toshiki said. He did not smile but simply nod. "Still I found it hard to sleep at night knowing the snake demon is out there waiting to kill."

"Do you not trust in my magic barrier?" Nobu asked him.

"I do not wish to put you down but you are still young and inexperienced with your powers. If anything happens to the barrier, if anything happens to you, Himitsu will rush in and kill the rest of us. He has a great hatred for this village since you saved us with that sword of yours," the village head said.

"I will not die before Himitsu is destroyed. I vow on Buddha to terminate him and I shall carry it out," Nobu said in a determined voice. Toshiki went to the exit.

"Do it as quickly as you can. There has been too many deaths already and I want this village to prosper," the village head ordered. He then left. Nobu looked at Rin. She laid there not moving but her eyes were opened.

"Do not be too concerned about Toshiki-sama. He lost his son to Himitsu. Plus he has to think about the welfare of the village. He has no hard feelings toward you. And the fact that you survived and so many others had not, well, it must be hard on him to know that," Nobu told her. Rin laid there but she did take her words in her mind. She must be a lucky girl. She wanted to say something but instead she moved her head to her right side.

"Do not attempt to move. My grandmother is collecting herbs to fight the poison inside you. Rest now," Nobu put his hand on her forehead. He then felt her long hair in her fingers. Rin closed her eyes. She was still feeling tired and after a short time fell asleep again.

"How was the meeting with the men?" his grandmother asked. She had just entered the house holding a basket of fresh herbs. She came down to Rin. "Has she waken up yet?"

"Yes she has. But the men did not recognize her and she did not recognize any of them," Nobu told her.

"I see. We already said that if no one comes seeking for her by the time she recovers, she would be adopted as an orphan. Of course it's still too early to conclude anything," his grandmother said. Nobu stood up.

"If the girl is asleep, I should return to my duties. I am behind on my prayers and I have to prepare when Hanae comes with her offerings," Nobu told her. She nodded.

"It was such cruel timing for Himitsu to attack the village when she and her husband were beginning life together. She is still devastated by what happened," Toyoka said.

"If I was a little older, I could have become her second husband and she'll be happy again," Nobu told her. She smiled.

"That is kind of you, my grandson, but remember the contract that you made to Toshiki and his daughter Fumie. You cannot break it without good reason," Toyoka reminded him.

"I know," the boy said, not sounding happy. He walked toward the altar room. Toyoka decided to say something more.

"She woke up when you were still asleep," his grandmother told him. "She managed to talk. She is quite a sweet girl." He looked back at her.

"Did she say anything useful?" he asked her.

"Not really," she replied. "I did found out her name. It's Rin."

"Rin," Nobu said. He then went back to the altar room. "It is such a simple and pretty name." At that he left. Toyoka put the cover back on Rin and took the basket of herbs to the place where she will prepare them.

End of Chapter Four

I have introduced all of the major characters by person or by name so I am going to concentrate on Rin and the village people. I have not forgotten about Sesshoumaru and his condition. He'll return soon. Inu-Yasha was created by Rumiko Takahashi. The original characters in this story were created by Melinda-chan. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. And do not forget to review!


	5. Characters

**Chapter Five of "To Be Human: Prelude"**

**By Melinda-chan**

"Did you say that a demon is at the spring?" Toshiki asked the women. A group of women were at the entrance of Toshiki's house. His three daughters (Fumie would be the youngest) were also with him at the door.

"Yes. It is a small demon but it carried a horrible staff with heads and it even shot fire at us, threatening us with it," the first woman, wearing a red and white-spotted yutaka (shirt), reported.

"It was indeed a very gruesome staff. It was made up of the heads of an old man and a woman and tried to inflict fire on us," the second woman, wearing a yellow yutaka, added.

"We need the water now. Could you please get Nobu-sama to get rid of the demon for us?" the third woman, wearing a white yutaka with flowers, asked. The village head nodded.

"I will not allow anyone to go far from this village, in fear that Himitsu might take their lives," Toshiki said. "I shall get Nobu our priest to drive the demon away."

"Thank you Toshiki-sama. Please do hurry" the first woman said. All the women put their hands together and bowed in appreciation and respect.

"Is that all?" Toshiki asked.

"Yes Toshiki-sama" the first woman replied.

"Very well. You can leave now. I'll tell him as soon as I am ready" the village head replied. The women then left.

"Do you really think that Nobu-sama can do this, Father? He is having a hard time with Himitsu" the oldest daugher, wearing a red and white kimono, said.

"Shame on you, oldest sister Chihiro!" Fumie exclaimed. "Obou-sama is doing his best. Himitsu is very cautious that's all." ("Obou-sama" is the polite term for a Buddhist priest. I assume that this refers to the village head priest but it doesn't matter in this story.)

"Yes" Toshiki nodded. "He is very young for a priest but he does have great spiritual powers. The demon barrier around this village is proof of that." He then looked down at Fumie. "Why don't you go to Nobu's house and tell him what those ladies told us? You can return here when you're done."

"I shall do as you say" Fumie responded. She then ran off. His middle daughter, Hanako, turned to him.

"Is it true that Nobu has a girl in the house with him?" she asked him. Her older sister suddenly looked interested.

"She is younger than him. But she is certainly not from the local area. We already checked with the village heads from the other villages but they did not recognize her. It was as if she came from the forest itself" Toshiki told his remaining daughters.

"Hmm" was the only thing that Hanako said. Chihiro looked like she was thinking.

"Come inside now. We can wait in the house until Fumie comes back," Toshiki told his two daughters. They nodded and went back inside the house.

Rin saw the light from the window shine inside the house though she did not know whether it was the same day or not. She felt a bit well but the prayer beads and the o-fudas, which was all over her, reminded her that her ordeal was not over. Rin sighed. Sesshoumaru-sama would be aware of her absence by now. If she got out of the village, he would be able to get a sniff of her and take her away. But with her present condition, she doubted that she could go far and she would possibly exhaust herself in the process. She did not think about Himitsu, who was watching the village right now with his black "snakes" for the chance to taste her blood again.

She saw no one was in the room. She separated the room divisors and saw a shadow through the screens of the altar room. Someone was bending over and using his or her right arm as in writing. The person then put the paper up as if examining it. He or she then put it down and resumed writing.

Rin's curiosity got the better of her and she slid the shoji door open.

She saw it was the boy, Nobu, which was writing. He wrote on a sheet of bamboo paper. He held the carved writing stick in his right hand as he made strokes of black ink on the paper. He then dabbed the stick on an ink stone that was filled with black ink. At his right was a scroll with finer strokes. However, it seemed old and a little faded.

Rin walked closer to him. She saw an oil lamp at his left. It was only then when he saw her shadow on the floor. He put his head up.

"Sorry, Rin-chan. Were you standing long?" he asked her.

"You know my name?" Rin asked in surprise.

"Grandmother, the woman that is also taking care of you, told me," Nobu replied. He then looked at his paper. "I don't suppose you know what I am writing, do you?" Rin shook her head.

"No" Rin replied.

"That scroll you see on the right contains the words of my great ancestor Li Dao. You see, my family is not originally from this land. Li Dao came from China, a place out in the west. He believed in Buddha and moved here to teach people how to get their souls to the Pure Land, where Amida Buddha rules the faithful, after death" Nobu explained. He pointed to the Buddha idol. "That is Buddha. His name means 'enlightened one'. It was said that he gained enlightenment while meditating under a tree. Afterward he taught his disciples what he knew. When he died, he became Amida Buddha and now rules the Pure Land." Nobu pointed to a set of scrolls. "As a part of my studies I am trying to copy all the works of Li Dao. He was a priest too and wrote what he knew about Buddha and his teachings. Among the scrolls there are also stories and poems he wrote. I am merely interested in the religious writings but all of the words are old and fading so I am trying to preserve as much as I can." Rin looked at all the characters on his paper in wonderment.

"Do you know all the words?" Rin asked.

"Not all of them" Nobu answered. "My great ancestor Li Dao believed that everyone should have the chance of entering the Pure Land so he tried to use simple words in his writings. Of course that does not mean they are simple characters. I am trying to memorize all of the characters but some take more work than others." He then smiled. "It may not be so simple for you. But here are a few simple characters I am sure you can memorize." Rin watched as he took another piece of paper. He dabbed his writing stick on the ink stone and then made four strokes. "Rin-chan, what do you think this is?"

"I don't know" Rin answered.

"Just think" Nobu told her. "What goes in all directions like these little strokes at the left and right, go up like this long one and go down like this short one?"

'How should I know?' Rin felt like saying. But she decided to use her imagination. She then saw something.

"It looks like a spark!" Rin exclaimed.

"You're correct," Nobu said. "It is the character for fire."

'Well that was easy' Rin thought. Now that she knew the meaning, the character did look like a wavering flame.

"I got one more for you" Nobu said. He then made a small rectangle and put a line through it. He then put a little stroke at the top. Below the rectangle he drew three strokes. He then drew a curved stroke at the left side of it. It was not connected to the rectangle like the other strokes. "Can you guess what it is?"

"No" Rin answered.

"Hmm. It might be a little hard. This-" Nobu pointed to the strokes below the rectangle. "-Is water. And this-" he pointed at the rectangular shape. "-Is white. Now do you know where water make white froth?" Rin's eyes lit up.

"A spring!" Rin's voice sounded nostalgic as she remembered the times she and Sesshoumaru-sama and Jaken-sama went to the springs of the area. Nobu noticed the delighted expression on her face.

"You like that character, do you?" Nobu asked her. "I bet you'll like this character even more." Rin watched as he made many strokes.

He first made a little curve then drew a line that went up and then right. At the right and under the stroke, he drew a rectangular shape that was similar to the one he drew for "spring". However, he then drew a shorter line above it, connecting it with the line that went up the rectangle. All in all, he made nine strokes.

"That is Rin, your name" Nobu announced.

"My name?" Rin asked.

"Yes" Nobu replied. Rin felt awed. Now she knows what her name looks like!

"And do you know what your name means?" Nobu asked her. Rin shook her head.

"It means 'companion,'" Nobu explained.

"Companion?" Rin said. Nobu smiled.

"It means that you'll never be alone" he answered.

'I'll never be alone' Rin thought. She then realized he was right. Especially after she came under Sesshoumaru-sama's care, she was always under his or Jaken-sama's shadow. And he always came to her rescue when they were forced apart. It was true; she was never truly alone.

Rin was about to say something more when the door slid open. A girl wearing an orange and white-striped kimono came in, walking on her socks.

"Obou-sama! You are needed! Come with me now!" the girl barked. Nobu looked startled, with his third and fourth finger down in his right hand.

"Fu-Fu-Fumie-chan!" Nobu exclaimed. Now he looked terrified. He then put the rest of his fingers down in his right hand. "Fu-Fumie-chan! Why are you here?" Rin saw that this girl, Fumie, looked like Toshiki. She suddenly disliked her. Fumie then looked at Rin.

"Are you the new girl here?" Fumie asked her. Rin nodded. "I see." She then looked at the piece of paper containing the characters that Nobu wrote for Rin. "Speaking of spring, some of the ladies said that a demon had prevented them from going to the spring to get water. They said that it has a stick that shoots fire at them and scared them away. You better get yourself and your sword to the spring and kill that demon! Or at least get it out of the spring! We need the water and my tea ceremony is in two days!" Fumie was screeching at the end.

"Of course!" Nobu said as he grabbed the sword that was next to the lamp. He hitched it to his sash. "Rin-chan, I have to go now. I am needed. You can wait until Grandmother comes and you can talk with her. Or you can go back and rest. I'll see you when I return." At that he left with Fumie.

Rin was alone. She looked at the piece of paper containing the characters that Nobu wrote for her. She was thrilled as she saw the character of her name. She wanted to know more words.

'Maybe he can teach me how to write', Rin thought. 'Maybe I can ask him after he deals with the demon.' Her eyes then went wide as she realized something. 'The girl said that the demon had a stick that shoots fire. It has to be Jaken-sama!' She got up. 'That must mean Sesshoumaru-sama is also at the spring! I got to go to the spring!' She went out of the altar room and pushed the room separators in a frantic effort to reach the exit door. She ignored the burning feeling in her stomach and chest. She has to get to the spring.

"What is it, Rin?" Toyoka asked, appearing at the doorway. She held a basket filled with vegetables at her right arm.

"The-the spring!" Rin stuttered; her voice was louder than normal. Her head was covered with sweat.

"Child, do not excite yourself! The poison will only surface again!" Toyoka warned.

"I-I got to be strong!" Rin said. But she suddenly fell down.

"Rin!" Toyoka reached down to hold her. "I know you want to go out but you still need to fight off the poison before you could exert yourself on anything else!" Putting the basket down, Toyoka put her in her arms and put her back onto the futon. "There. You could rest now." She then looked up at the ceiling. "I wonder why she said, 'The spring?'" She then went to the altar room. The lamp was now dim. "Nobu is not here. Perhaps he has gone to the spring. That is why she said it. In any case, I better get prepared when he comes back." At that she left the altar room and took the vegetables to the place where she would prepare them.

End of Chapter Five

I had to do research for this chapter, including a Japanese-English online dictionary, so I hope everything is accurate. I also apologize for its length. I tried to keep it as short as possible. Inu-Yasha was created by Rumiko Takahashi. I hope you enjoy this chapter. And do not forget to review!


	6. Reflections

**Chapter Six of "To Be Human: Prelude"**

**By Melinda-chan**

Note: The words in Sesshoumaru's flashbacks are based from Chris Rijk's online manga translation, not the official Viz manga translation. (See Volume 14 for reference).

Himitsu is going to die a very painful death.

This was the thought that went through Sesshoumaru's mind a hundred times as he laid in the waters. By the time he got into the spring, he was completely numb. Jaken, his imp servant, and An and Un, his two-headed dragon consort, was close by looking out for any intruders.

The numbness would have been no problem- he would simply wait a few hours until it subsided- but it gave an opportunity for Jaken to rant endlessly while he waited.

"Himitsu will pay for this dearly! Trying to hurt Sesshoumaru-sama is unforgivable! Why, if Himitsu were here, I would use the Nintoujou and make him into a pile of ash-" Jaken said out loud. (Note: Nintoujou is the original name for the Staff of Skulls).

Sesshoumaru allowed his body to sink deeper into the waters until his mouth reached the surface of the water. If Himitsu wanted to torture him while being paralyzed, letting Jaken talk on and on would be it. As the demon lord thought of ways of punishing Jaken for needlessly irritating him, the imp said something that almost pushed him over the top.

"If only that human brat was not with us, my lord would not have been in this mess- ahhhhh!!!!"

Sesshoumaru suddenly found himself out of the water and planting a solid kick on the back of Jaken's head. The motion caused the imp to sprawl forward, knocking the staff out of his hand. It took a minute for Jaken to regain his composure. He picked up the Nintoujou and went to his master.

"You can move again, my lord! I was getting so worried about you! Now that you can move, we can find Himitsu and ahhhhh!!!!" Jaken screamed again as Sesshoumaru dropped to the ground. "Sesshoumaru-sama! Are you okay? Did you went numb again, my lord?" Even An and Un went to the dog demon and nudged him with their snouts.

Sesshoumaru, having subconsciously kicked Jaken, had now let the numbness control him again. However, he got enough control to stretch out his right arm and plant his talons right into the ground. He slowly raised his head but for some reason could not get his eyes to focus.

"My lord, you look even worse than before!" Jaken told him. The dog demon put his head to the right and closed his eyes. This motion alarmed Jaken even more.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, I swear that I shall protect you until your numbness wears away! I shall chase anyone that dares to come close to the spring! I will not fail you again my lord!" Jaken said to him.

Sesshoumaru was not listening to him. His mind was on something else, recalling the last time he was completely numb- the event that changed his life.

Start of First Flashback

Sesshoumaru should consider himself lucky that his half-breed brother did not swing Tetsusaiga to its full force.

The dog demon had his face lying to one side and his eyes were still open and red. He was alive but he still was feeling the effects of the tremendous power of Tetsusaiga. He sweated profusely and took deep breaths. He was completely numb.

'I can't move…' he thought. He hated being powerless. He only hoped that no aspiring demon would come by and tried to kill him. At least he had his senses.

All of the sudden the leaves rustled. Sesshoumaru turned his head slightly.

'The scent of a human' he thought. He instinctively turned toward the source and hissed, hoping that the human would take the message and go away.

The little girl did shrink back. She was not clean as her dirty face attests. She carried what looked like a bamboo container in her right hand. She obviously was scared. Yet she did not go away.

It was apparent that her concern for him overtook any overwhelming fear she may had since she walked toward him. She gulped as she approached him. He saw her clearly now.

'A child?' Sesshoumaru thought. Why did she not run away? Humans, much less human children, should have enough sense to know danger and get away. While it was true he was hurt, he could still kill her with one swipe of his claws. Did she not know this?

She was now very close to him. He felt a natural urge to retreat but his body refused to cooperate. She held up the bamboo container. Now he was curious. What was she planning to do?

SPLASH! A surprised Sesshoumaru found himself wet. The girl emptied the contents of the bamboo container onto him. It was only a little water but he could feel it soak into his hair and skin. It was actually refreshing.

However, the demon lord was not going to let a human child think she can help her. He looked the other way resting his eyes. He could hear her breathing. He thought about what just happened.

'She intends to rescue me, huh?' he thought. It amused him. Yet he wondered what made her so fearless when most other humans would have fled.

End of First Flashback

"Ack! I smell humans!" Jaken yelled, snapping Sesshoumaru out of his thoughts. Jaken had run away, toward the path of the humans. The dog demon could smell them- several different smells of adult female humans it seems. A woman's scream confirmed this.

"It is a demon!" a woman exclaimed.

"It's an imp!" another one said.

"I command you humans to stay away! This is my lord's domain for now!" Jaken yelled. Sesshoumaru heard a few whooshes and more screams from the women. "Stay back! Or face the wrath of the Nintoujou!"

Sesshoumaru was getting agitated. It was apparent that they should have been gone earlier. This spring was obviously used by humans. They should leave now. If he could talk, he would tell Jaken to get them all out of here. By now, the women must have gone back to their village and told someone. He had no idea what will happen next.

"My lord! I have chased away the intruders!" Jaken informed him. Like the dog demon ordered him to.

Sesshoumaru let out a low growl to show his displeasure. His ears slightly moved. He could feel part of the numbness go away. Apparently Tenseiga was doing its work. He moved his legs slowly in the water. On the waters he saw an image of Rin smiling back at him.

That smile…

Start of Second Flashback

The leaves rustled again.

The girl re-appeared. Sesshoumaru did not look surprised. However, there was something different. Her right eye was swollen shut and there were new bruises on her face. She was apparently had been through an ordeal. Yet she still came to him like always.

The girl held out a large leaf for him. She obviously thought he was a carnivore since he had rejected her offer of fish and mushrooms earlier. He was still not hungry or desperate enough to eat from a human.

"Don't bother," he said, looking away.

The girl looked away. He was, however, interested in one thing.

"What happened to your face?" he asked her.

The girl looked at him. He saw her from the corner of his eye. She said nothing in reply.

"You don't have to say if you don't want to" Sesshoumaru said. 'This girl…can't speak?' he thought.

The girl then smiled, showing a broken tooth in her mouth. The dog demon looked slightly surprised.

'What's she happy about? I just asked about her appearance,' Sesshoumaru thought.

End of Second Flashback

Sesshoumaru continued to look at the water. He saw his somewhat battered appearance on it. The blood from his fur and clothes was almost gone. He probably could move now. It has been decided. They all should leave as soon as possible.

"Jaken!" Sesshoumaru called out. The imp rushed to his side.

"What is it my lord?" Jaken asked.

"We must leave" Sesshoumaru said slowly.

"Are you better now?" the imp questioned.

"I am better" Sesshoumaru replied. He rose slowly out of the water. "Jaken, those women were from the village that Rin is in, were they?"

"I don't know my lord" Jaken answered. "I did not small her on their clothes".

'If she died again, will Tenseiga be able to save her again?' the dog demon thought. He took out the sword and looked at it.

"My lord?" Jaken asked curious. But Sesshoumaru did not appear to heard him. His mind was on something- the first time he used Tenseiga.

Start of Third Flashback

It was two nights later. Jaken had finally found Sesshoumaru and the dog demon could finally move. He stood up, wanting to go home.

It was then he caught a whiff of something.

'The smell of blood…and wolves…' Sesshoumaru thought. He then remembered the girl leaving the place he laid before. 'That little human girl… always left in that direction…' Has her human colony been attacked? He decided to see for himself what happened.

The smell led him to a part of the forest where wolves had gathered. The wolves were growling, apparently feeling threatened by his arrival. One of the wolves' snouts was dripping with blood. But Sesshoumaru focused on the human body covered with blood on a bare patch of ground.

It was the body of the human girl.

The wolves, probably wanting to eat the girl and fearing that the newcomer might interfere, hunched their backs and growled louder. Sesshoumaru would not stand any challenge, however slight, to his authority.

The dog demon returned the glare but he also increased the youki (demon energy) in his body until it was visibly seen. The wolves, realizing who was the top canine here, promptly ran off. It was then that Jaken appeared.

"Indeed, you are as amazing as ever, Sesshoumaru-sama. With just a single glare…" Jaken spoke. He then went to the girl's body. "Ahhhhh, she's already had it". The imp looked back at Sesshoumaru. "She was killed with one bite. Sesshoumaru-sama, did you want something with this human?" Sesshoumaru turned away.

"No" he said. However, the image of the girl's corpse appeared in his mind. He then remembered her smile when he asked what happened to her face. He did not know the word that described how he felt, and he never had a high regard for humans before, but this girl's death felt so… wrong. He then felt Tenseiga at his side. Perhaps it was finally time to use it…

He walked back to the girl's corpse.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" Jaken asked confused.

Sesshoumaru felt Tenseiga becomes crackled with power. He glanced at the area over her sharply.

'So that's it…' he thought. Four small implike creatures looked down at the girl's corpse. They carried long polelike weapons. 'I can see them…So these are the messengers from the next world…Let's test out-' Sesshoumaru then swung the sword, cutting through them. '-Tenseiga's power!'

(Note: Chris Rijk's online manga translation says 'pall-bearers' but acknowledged that the original word could also mean 'messengers'. In the Viz manga translation and also the translated anime had Sessho-Maru/Sesshomaru say 'messengers' so I'm sticking with that).

Sesshoumaru felt happy (was that the right word?) when he heard the girl's heart beating and her soft breathing. He saw that her wounds were gone. He picked up the girl who opened her eyes and looked up at him. He could hear Jaken talking but he did not care.

At that time Sesshoumaru was only thinking about Tenseiga and his half-breed brother, who seemed unable to kill him with Tetsusaiga. But as he cradled the girl, he felt a feeling of happiness. It was a feeling that he had never felt before. The question is, would it be good for him in the long run?

"Fumie-chan! I told you to get out of here!" a boy's voice made Sesshoumaru look at the trees ahead.

'I can feel strange power coming from that direction' Sesshoumaru thought. 'It would be better if we leave'.

"Let us go Jaken," Sesshoumaru ordered.

"Yes my lord" Jaken said. "Come An and Un! Take me and Sesshoumaru-sama out of this place!"

They departed just in time too, for the boy, Nobu, and the girl, Fumie, had arrived at the spring. Nobu looked mad as his future wife still did not listen to him and followed him right to the spring.

"I hope you'll be more obedient when we get married!" Nobu said out loud.

"You can take down a demon, right?" Fumie said. "So why can't I watch?"

"Fumie-chan!" Nobu exclaimed. "Now look! You scared away the demon!"

"I am not the only one shouting!" Fumie shrieked. She then looked up. "That demon sure looks pretty". Nobu looked up as well.

"What sort of demon is that?" Nobu asked. He saw the two-headed dragon fly away at a distance. However, he could also see the long white-haired demon on it. It was a beast demon as far as he knew. Little did he know how much he would have to depend on that demon when the search for Himitsu gets under way.

End of Chapter Six

The last sentence was a bit hard to write but you'll get the meaning in a future chapter. I hope this wasn't a boring chapter- I hate anime episodes with nothing but flashbacks. It was also hard to make it from Sesshoumaru's point-of-view- he was not very articulate in Volume 14 of the manga when he resurrected Rin. But I am sticking to what I feel until I am proven wrong. I like to thank Chris Rijk very, very much for the online Inu-Yasha manga translation. It helped me a lot. I hope you enjoy this chapter. The next chapter will be on Rin and Nobu. Inu-Yasha was created by Rumiko Takahashi. Please do not forget to review!


	7. Rin's Lord and Himitsu The Snake Demon

**Chapter Seven of "To Be Human: Prelude"**

**By Melinda-chan**

Rin was in a dream.

She was in a field surrounded with flowers. She saw lilies, azaleas and other colourful flowers around her. Rin felt so joyful.

"This one is for Sesshoumaru-sama… this one is for Jaken-sama…this one is for Nobu-sama…" Rin said as she picked flowers one by one. She then looked up. "Sesshoumaru-sama! Jaken-sama! I got some flowers for you! They are so many and so pretty! And I got some for Nobu-sama too! Sesshoumaru-sama?"

She then saw the backs of her beloved dog-eared lord and his imp servant as they walked away. They did not even turn their heads to acknowledge her. Despite Rin's shout, they continued to walk.

"Sesshoumaru-sama! Jaken-sama! Wait for me!" Rin yelled but the more she ran, the more distant that the demons became. Rin dropped the flowers and held out her hands in an attempt to reach them.

"Sesshoumaru-sama! Jaken-sama!" Rin cried out. But as she did, they faded away.

"No!!! Sesshou-" Rin yelled. She suddenly woke up to see Nobu staring right back at her.

"Are you feeling well, Rin-chan?" Nobu asked concerned.

"Rin is okay," she said. However she felt sweaty. "It was just a nightmare".

"That is great to hear," Nobu said, relieved. "Grandmother will be here soon to give you some tea".

"Thank you" Rin said. She then noticed that Nobu was still looking at her. She backed away from him, a little afraid.

"Who is Sesshou?" Nobu asked. Rin looked surprised.

"Sesshou?" Rin said. Did she say that out loud? She wondered.

"You called out 'No! Sesshou-' and then woke up. I don't want to sound nosy but I was just curious" Nobu said.

"He-he is my lord" Rin answered. 'That is true' she thought.

"Is he a daimyo?" Nobu asked.

"A daimyo?" Rin asked, not sure what he meant. Nobu took a deep breath.

"Does your lord have a castle? Does he have servants? Does he have an army?" Nobu asked her.

"No, my lord does not have an army," Rin answered. Nobu looked visibly relieved.

"I am so happy to hear that" Nobu said. "There are evil men who use local villages as sites for their battles. I would not want any of them to come here". Rin puffed up her chest with pride.

"My lord is more powerful than a mere mortal!" Rin exclaimed. "He is more powerful than ten mortal lords! But he's not interested in invading villages".

"That's a relief," Nobu said. "So your lord is not a daimyo? Where does he live?"

"He lives out in the west," Rin told him. "But he travels a lot".

"Do you travel with him a lot?" Nobu asked her.

"Oh yes. He is very kind to me and he protects me," Rin said. Nobu smiled.

"He sounds like a good man," the boy said. He then took out his sword and looked at it. "This village has battled Himitsu since a year ago. We do not need to worry about evil men".

"Why does Himitsu want to attack this village so bad?" Rin asked. Nobu stared at the floor for a short time, before answering.

"He wants to kill me," Nobu finally answered.

"What?" Rin said a little shocked. "Why does he want to kill you?" Nobu put the sword on his lap.

"It is partly because of my father and partly because of what I did a year ago. You see, my father was the high priest of this village. It was his responsibility as well as a few other priests to keep the village spiritually strong and also keep the village safe from spiritual threats like demons. From my infancy onward I was taught to follow in my father's footsteps. All of the priests were devout Buddhists so their spiritual power was very strong, especially my father. So when Himitsu came, they thought they could expel him like any other demon. But they were wrong and they got killed instead," Nobu said. All of a sudden Toyoka appeared.

"Do you want any tea, Rin?" she asked her, holding a cup of tea.

"Yes please" Rin answered. Toyoka put down the cup of tea into the girl's hands.

"Be very careful. It is still very hot," the old woman warned. She then looked at Nobu. "My grandson, do you want any tea for yourself?"

"Not right now Grandmother" Nobu replied. She nodded and walked away. Rin put the cup to her mouth and sipped it slowly. "Do you think your lord is looking for you?"

"I know he is" Rin answered. 'I hope' she thought nervously. The dream of Sesshoumaru-sama and Jaken-sama leaving her came to her mind. She didn't think her lord would do that but the very thought brought shivers down her body. Nobu saw her shiver.

"Is it the poison acting up?" he asked her. He then took off his robe and put it around her. "That should keep you warm".

"Is that the only robe you have?" Rin asked.

"It is my kesa" Nobu replied. "I patterned it after my own father's robe but of course I had it made to fit me". He put the right fold over the left fold and tied the kesa at the front. "I want you to be warm. I cannot allow Himitsu to kill another person, especially a girl like you". Rin looked at the prayer bead at her left hand.

"I wonder how long will I have to wear this?" Rin questioned.

"I do not know" Nobu answered. "All the other victims of Himitsu died within half an hour". (Note: In feudal Japan an hour would consist of two hours today so Nobu really said an hour).

Rin didn't know what to say. She remembered how she felt when she got bitten. She lost consciousness quickly but not before feeling like she was in a blazing fire with pain in all her insides. She felt so weak afterward. How could she survive after that?

"They must have died in horrible pain!" Rin exclaimed.

"I cannot rest until Himitsu is killed" Nobu told her. "He has killed so many people. It is not just here but in other villages as well. After the first attack I erected a demon barrier so he cannot enter but I cannot keep everyone inside forever. If I can just take off his head, then we would not live in fear anymore".

"How can you kill such a demon?" Rin asked him. He looked at his sword on his lap.

"This sword is a holy sword made of spiritual energy. I do not know how and where my family got it but I found it when Himitsu was attacking the village. He was in his full demon form. He looks like a great black snake that can excrete great amounts of poison from his long fangs. I don't know how I did it but I awakened the power inside the sword when I tried to attack him. I used all my anger and strength to extract the sword's power and aim it right at Himitsu's head. I knew I succeeded but I was too tired to finish him off. I went asleep. When I woke up, I realized that every priest, including my father, was killed and that I had to become the new priest. And because of that and the barrier, he has been seeking to kill everyone in the village ever since, but especially me," Nobu explained. Rin looked down with a sad expression on her face.

'He probably don't want to hear more about Sesshoumaru-sama,' Rin thought. 'If Himitsu is like this, he probably would not want to hear about Sesshoumaru-sama'. Her eyes suddenly went wide open as she realized something. She spoke out loud. "Did you manage to find the demon that you were seeking?" Nobu at first said nothing. What can he say to her?

"I did try to find the demon but it was gone by the time I went to the spring" Nobu answered. "I will try to find it again but I am not sure if it'll come here again." Rin smiled, relieved that Sesshoumaru-sama and Jaken-sama was not seen. Nobu mistook the expression for gladness and smiled back. "You know there is going to be a tea ceremony in two days. Would you like to come along?"

"A tea ceremony?" Rin asked. "There is a ceremony for tea?"

"The art of serving tea has existed for hundreds of years" Nobu explained. "It is a graceful art and can be a pleasant experience for the body and mind. We also eat other foods as well. It is a big ceremony and both males and females can participate. You'll enjoy it". He then looked at her, covered with o-fudas and prayer beads. "Of course it depends how you feel at that time".

"I will love to come," Rin answered. "It sounds good". She then untied the kesa and handed it to him. "I feel better now. It does not fit me anyway".

"Oh," Nobu said. He then put the kesa back on. "You know, I think you are a special girl. I'll love to see you when you become a woman". Rin had to blink in surprise. She then turned a bit red in her cheeks. Just then the room separator slid open.

"Supper is ready, children" Toyoka announced. Nobu nodded. He then turned back to Rin.

"We should eat now. Afterwards, I can teach you how to write more characters" Nobu told her. Rin smiled. They went to the kitchen area. For the first time since Rin found herself in this village, she felt happy.

Toyoka smiled as well. She noted that the children looked like a very young couple as Nobu helped her put soup and rice in her two bowls. Toyoka could not help but feel proud for her son for raising Nobu before his death. She also felt proud for Rin's parents or guardian for raising such a nice, sweet girl.

'I hope that someone does find her,' Toyoka thought. 'I would like to know who raised her and thanked them for raising her. She'll be quite a woman when she grows up'.

"Grandmother, are you coming to eat with us?" Nobu asked her. He had his chopsticks in his rice bowl while Rin was looking at her with her own chopsticks in her mouth.

"Of course my grandson," Toyoka said. She then joined them as they ate their supper.

End of Chapter Seven

My readers will have to wait for Chapter Eight. I will have to order a book from the library in order to write the chapter. It may take a few days to a month to receive so readers will have to wait until I get the book to write Chapter Eight. I'll inform all my readers when I am done like always. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. My readers should know more about Nobu now. This is almost halfway through the story now so I hope to pick up the pace after a few more chapters. Inu-Yasha was created by Rumiko Takahashi. Please do not forget to review!


	8. Chanoyu

**Chapter Eight of "To Be Human: Prelude" by Melinda-chan**

In order to write this chapter, I had to learn about Chanoyu, the Japanese tea ceremony. I came across three resources that helped me tremendously. They are (in bibliographic order):

Ikakura, Kazuko. "The Book of Tea." New York: Dover Publications, 1964. (The first well-known book on chanoyu, this was actually a reprint. Ikakura-san wrote mostly on the history and philosophy of tea, which was not much useful, but the endnotes were very interesting. Did you know that Miroku is the Japanese name of a Buddhist deity?)

Steinberg, Rafael. "The Cooking of Japan." Time-Life Books, 1969. (The chapter on the tea ceremony was very good, and I based most of my information on what I saw and read from this book. This book, as well as the other books of the "Foods of the World" series, is very good and worth reading).

These two books I got from my library, which I ordered. You can also try to find or order them from your own library.

http:www. teahyakka. com/ E. html A neat little website on aspects of the tea ceremony I couldn't get elsewhere, such as a diagram of a teahouse, and even an interesting account of serving tea in a New York apartment! (Write the hyperlink down with the spaces for later use, since does not support hyperlinks).

Not all these resources agree on everything, since there might be different schools of thought. Hopefully, I got all the basics done right.

Now that is over with, let the eighth chapter begin!

"Himitsssu, my lord?"

The great snake demon went down a tree to meet one of his black vassals. The shadow "snake" rose its eyeless head to meet its master.

"What isss it, my little one? Do you have newsss of the girl or the dog demon?" Himitsu asked.

"Aye, my lord," the black "snake" replied. "The girl hasss not left the village. Ssshe may ssstill be sssick from the poissson."

"I ssseee," Himitsu said. "How about the dog demon?"

"He isss gone" the shadow snake replied. "He went on hisss two-headed dragon and left with his other ssservant."

"Follow them" Himitsu ordered. "And ssslay the dragon. He has been an annoyance to me asss well."

"Yesss my lord" the shadow snake replied. It then slithered away from the great snake demon. Himitsu remained on the ground.

'Very soon I shall destroy Sesshoumaru and his allies and I will be the next one that rules this domain,' Himitsu thought. And with that, he went up the tree and rested.

The sun had just risen in the sky.

"Rin, wake up."

Toyoka's voice roused the girl from her sleep. Rin opened her eyes to see the grey-haired woman smiling back at her.

"Why are you smiling?" Rin asked.

"You did not wake up sweating very much," Toyoka replied. "That is a good sign."

"Where is Nobu-sama?" Rin asked as she rubbed her eyes.

"Nobu-sama is at the tea house," Toyoka replied. "You did not forget today is the day of Fumie's tea ceremony."

"What time is it?" Rin inquired.

"It is in the middle of the Hour of the Dragon," the grey-haired woman replied. (Note: "The middle of the Hour of the Dragon would be 8:00 a.m.).

"When does Fumie's tea ceremony start?" Rin asked.

"The Hour of the Horse," Toyoka replied. "When the sun is almost at its full height in the sky."

"Does Nobu-sama and Fumie have to take that long to prepare?" Rin asked as she got up. Toyoka assisted her.

"The tea ceremony is not just about how to prepare tea, child," Toyoka told her. "It is a way to balance oneself with the world around us, a way to appreciate the beauty and joy around us, and use our full senses to take all of this in. One just does not observe the making of the tea, but also the other senses get involved as well when she prepares the tea. The tea master herself must pay close attention to her hands and have her mind cleared to do her task. After she had prepared the tea, she will give the tea cup to a guest who will taste the tea and compliment on the tea's colour and aroma. Therefore, much time has to be spent not only on practicing the tea making but also making sure that the tea house, the utensils, her clothes and the entire environment is right with the world around us. I suppose that went over your head, hmm?"

"Hmm" Rin said.

"I will make you some gruel," Toyoka told her. "You'll need space in that stomach of yours for the kaiseki meal before it starts. I am going to make it light then." At that Rin's face brightened.

"Thank you Babaa-chan!" Rin said. She then bowed her head. "Nobu-sama told me a lot about chanoyu but I still don't understand why making and serving tea is so important."

"Well, when you get older and become a wife, you may have to serve tea. It would be good at least to observe the procedure for now" the grey-haired woman said. She got up. "I will get a bowl of gruel right now. I also got a new kimono for you to wear once you are ready to go." Rin nodded.

"Thank you Babaa-chan," Rin said. Toyoka looked down at the prayer beads and o-fudas on the girl's bloody kimono.

"I would have to remove most of the beads and o-fudas, but I think that the prayer beads on your left hand can remain," Toyoka said. "Hopefully that won't be a problem. Now I shall give you the gruel."

'I wonder where Sesshoumaru-sama and Jaken-sama is now' Rin thought. She then had an image of her two guardians. 'I hope they are all right.'

"That was good, Babaa-chan," Rin said after she sipped the last of the gruel. Toyoka smiled.

"You could not even put a bowl to your lips yesterday" the grey-haired woman said. "You're recovering faster than I had predicted. There must be something special about you." Rin looked surprised. "Nonetheless, it is almost time to go. I shall give you the kimono." At that Rin's face brightened.

"This was given from Chihiro, Fumie's eldest sister, at the request of Nobu for you to wear at the tea ceremony," Toyoka told her a few minutes later when she brought the orange kimono to the girl. "Nobu knew that you probably want a kimono similar to the one that you are wearing now and she had an orange one so he requested the orange kimono that she wore when she was your age. She also gave him the matching obi, zoris and underclothes too." (Note: An obi is the big sash worn around the kimono and zoris are sandals).

"Chihiro-san sounds like a nice girl" Rin said.

"Well, Nobu does possess a certain influence" Toyoka told her. "He wants you to look your very best. I have to wash your hands before we go. You still have some dried blood on your left hand and arm."

"Oh," Rin said, looking down at her bitten hand. "I want to be cleaned now."

"I shall get a bowl of water and a cloth," Toyoka said. She then left. Rin closed her eyes and put her right hand over her left one.

"You look so pretty now" the old woman told Rin ten minutes later. Rin was in the orange kimono. The orange obi she wore had white leaves on it. Rin's long hair was styled so that the top part of her hair was in a bun. It was tied with an orange ribbon and a few dried orange lilies decorated her hair.

"You think so?" Rin asked.

"Of course! Why, you look like a pretty orange flower or the sun after it sets in the autumn," the grey-haired woman said. "Do you wish to have a fan?"

"I am all right," Rin said. She then looked down at her dress. The orange kimono also had little white flowers on it. On her feet were two black zoris. She swayed her feet. She could not believe she was wearing shoes!

"Now that you're ready, I should get dressed myself," Toyoka said. "Excuse me." She then left the room. Rin sat down on the small stool.

"Babaa-chan!" Rin said as the grey-haired woman reappeared. She now wore a dark green kimono with brown oak leaves.

"Now I resemble an oak tree in autumn" Toyoka said. She then went down to Rin's level of view. "We should go to the teahouse now. It would be very impolite to arrive late." Rin nodded. "Now be careful when walking on the tatami mats. They are very brittle and can break if you put pressure on them."

"Okay," Rin said. She stood up and softly walked on the mats.

"How is your walking?" Toyoka inquired.

"It feels a bit stiff but I can walk" Rin replied.

"Then we should go now," the grey-haired woman said. "Give me your hand." Rin gave her right bead-covered hand to her. They walked out of the house. Rin then let go of her hand.

"Where is the teahouse, Babaa-chan?" Rin asked.

"It is ahead of us," Toyoka said. "It's a small chashitsu with a garden behind it. You'll probably see a few of the girls in front of it- Wait Rin! You must not run like that! The poison may come back!" She tried to run after her. "Agh! Stupid hips! Wait Rin!

Rin of course did not hear her though most likely she ignored the old woman's pleadings. The new kimono was stiff but she could still move her legs. It was not long after she started running that she saw a small house. Girls dressed in light blue, pink and yellow kimonos were standing at the front.

"Good morning!" Rin called out. The girls turned their heads to look at her. They then giggled. "What's wrong?" The girl in the pink kimono walked to her.

"I am Fumie's middle sister Hanako," she said. "You look pretty in orange but you sure look strange in those beads and o-fudas."

"Is it really true that you got bitten by Himitsu?" the girl in the light blue kimono asked her.

"Yes" Rin replied. "It burned like fire inside me but I am fine as long as I have my beads and o-fudas on."

"How did you managed to survive being bitten, Rin-chan?" the girl in the yellow kimono asked. "Even our men died from Himitsu."

"I-I don't know" Rin replied, feeling flustered. Just then, Rin saw Fumie and Nobu come out.

"What is she doing here?" Fumie asked out loud. She also wore an orange kimono with white leaf patterns on it but with a yellow obi with red leaf patterns instead.

"I invited her" Nobu replied.

"But I only want my two sisters, cousin Kaoru and of course my father to attend" Fumie said. "Plus me and you. That makes seven. We do not need an eighth person in the tea house."

"But this is her first chance to see a chanoyu" Nobu responded. "I know the size of the guests are a bit large but Rin really want to see it. She is a guest of the village after all." Fumie then looked at Rin.

Rin could see her cold eyes gazing down at her. She now knew that she did not like Fumie at all. Fumie apparently thought she was superior to her, or was it just because she was jealous of Nobu's attachment to her?

In any case, Rin simply put her chin up and turned her head away. This amused the other girls to whisper among themselves but Rin did not care.

"Very well. It's apparent that you'll dot his even without my consent so do as you wish" Fumie said in a mild tone though her body language clearly indicated that she did not like it at all.

"That's good to hear" Nobu said, smiling. He obviously did not notice her body language or ignored it. "Fumie, your father and your cousin will be here shortly. You should get ready to present the kaiseki before the tea ceremony starts."

"Yes, great teacher. I'll get myself prepared when Father and cousin Kaoru comes here," Fumie said as she submissively bowed to him. However, before she went back to the tea house, she gave Rin a very dark glare. Rin returned it. Nobu did not notice any of their expressions since he was looking up ahead.

"Toshiki-sama! Kaoru-chan! Grandmother!" Nobu called out. Rin looked at the three people and was surprised to see a little girl dressed in a red and white-striped kimono walking beside the man. She was even younger than Rin- possibly she was only two or three years old.

"Nobu, is Fumie ready for the ceremony?" Toshiki asked him.

"Toshiki-sama, she is almost ready" Nobu replied. This seemed to please the man. He then looked at Rin.

"The little girl, is she well?" he asked the boy priest.

"She is getting better" Nobu answered. He then looked at his grandmother. "Is that right?"

"Yes" Toyoka replied. "She is a very strong girl."

"I see" Toshiki said. "Well, as long as she can hold the tea cup and remember her words, I will not object. You do remember, right?"

A few seconds before Rin realized he was talking to her.

"Oh yes," Rin nodded, feeling flustered again.

"I am going to go off now," Toyoka said. "You children enjoy the ceremony. Remember it's your senses that must be delighted. I wish you all the best, especially you Rin." At that she left.

"Come all of you," Nobu said. "I think Fumie would be ready by now."

Rin was surprised when she finally entered the tea house- it was quite small. There was a little light coming from the window at the right, shining on the tatami mats and the sunken hearth in the middle of the room.

"Welcome to the chashitsu" Nobu said. "The tea ceremony master and the host extends their hospitality to you. Now sit down from the right according to your age."

So Rin found herself between Kaoru and Hanako. Toshiki sat down at the far right, closest to the alcove. Rin saw the kettle and brazier next to the hearth. But there was no sign of Fumie.

"The tea ceremony will commence as soon as she brings all the utensils and food here," Nobu said. At the mention of "food," Rin's head went up.

A few minutes later, Fumie appeared carrying all sorts of trays. Rin was more amazed at her balancing all of them rather than the grace and dignity she carried them with.

Fumie put them down gently, one by one, until all of them were arrayed in front of the guests. Rin took a look at each of them.

The trays were either made of bamboo or lacquered in black. The bowls were wooden, black, or copper. Fumie gently placed all the eating bowls in front of the guests, including Rin. Rin could not see any expression on her face; she was probably keeping a straight face for the sake of the ceremony.

Rin looked at the trays. One had the all-important rice in a black-lacquered bowl, with miso soup that had a piece of raw fluke (a type of fish) and a garnish of asparagus over it. The tray next to it had clear soup with a square of white tofu with slivers of fish paste and crab meat floating atop with a garnish of warabi (a Japanese fern). The tray next to that one had broiled porgy (another type of fish) in a white pottery bowl and steamed rice in the large black lacquered bowl. The tray next to that one had an antique china bowl with bamboo shoots and fuki (a green Japanese vegetable) garnished with sansho (pepper) leaf. Rin's mouth further watered when she then saw the trays with kelp broth in a covered bowl, lima beans with stuffed shrimp, squash pickles with Chinese cabbage and burned rice soup in a red bowl. Rin was surprised to found a tea tray but quickly realized this must be normal tea and that the 'special' tea would be made later.

"The host shall serve you the food," Fumie said with high formality. At that she brought out the chopsticks and put them in front of each person and put out bowls as well. Rin noticed Nobu looking sternly at Fumie. She could only imagine how Fumie must feel.

Rin had a nice meal. Most of the meal was the soups- apparently Nobu felt it would be better for her though she did have a good amount of rice. She sipped the tea slowly. Fumie meanwhile helped the other guests, especially Kaoru, who was still having difficulty eating solid food and using chopsticks.

Finally, the kaiseki meal was over. Rin put her chopsticks over her bowl in the traditional manner and bowed to Fumie, thanking her for the meal. Fumie returned the compliment, but she quickly went to Hanako.

Fumie then went outside again. Rin waited, still in a kneeling position. Fumie after a while returned with all the tea utensils except for the kettle and brazier, which was already in place. The second part of the ceremony, or goza, has begun.

Fumie put all the utensils onto the floor next to the hearth. She then picked up the bamboo teaspoon and wiped it with the sky blue silk napkin. She then wiped the brown lacquered tea caddy in the same manner. Rin saw the slow and deliberate manner she performed this task. She wondered how many times that Fumie had to practice all of this.

Fumie then picked up the bamboo dipper and transferred a small amount of hot water from the tea kettle to the tea bowl. She then took the piece of white linen cloth, fold it over the bowl, and turned it round and round in her hands. Rin could see the focus in her eyes as she did so.

Fumie then placed the tea kettle on the rim of the kettle lid and set the bowl directly before her. She then lifted the teaspoon from atop of the tea caddy. She carefully opened the caddy, trying not to disturb it. She then measured three scoops of tea into the bowl, pouring the powder into a small mound, like the one in the tea caddy. Everyone but Rin was looking at her in interest. Already Rin was getting bored.

When the last scoop has been tipped into the bowl, Fumie tapped the spoon against the bowl's inside rim and shook off the specks that still clung to the spoon. She then lowered the bamboo dipper, open side down, into the kettle. She gracefully rotated the dipper as it sinks into the water, avoiding the disconcerting gurgles as the dipper gets filled with water. Fumie then lifted it out, put it over the centre of the tea bowl and tipped the dipper enough to pour a third of the boiling water over the tea. Fumie now grabbed the bamboo whisk.

Fumie used the whisk to whip the tea and water together with a vigorous but graceful motion. Everybody watched as well. Rin was hoping that this would be over soon. Her legs were falling asleep.

Fumie then smiled, feeling the weight of so many hours of practice off her shoulders. Sixty minutes have passed, including the kaiseki meal. Rin tilted her head, trying not to look tired. Fumie looked away from her.

Instead she continued to whisk the tea. She then placed the tea bowl on the silk napkin and quietly brought it to Nobu, bowing as she did so. He bowed back, acknowledging the tea. He then picked the bowl with both of his hands as well and raised it thanking her for her service. After skimming off the scum, he turned the cup to a suitable spot and sipped it slowly. Once he was done, he bowed again, praising her for the tea's froth and colour as well as the taste and her technique. Fumie bowed, thanking him for the compliments. She then took the bowl back to the brazier, wiped the bowl, and prepared the tea again, using the same slow methods. Rin sighed, putting her hands on her chin. She had a feeling she will be here for a long time.

Indeed, ten minutes later, Fumie had the tea ready for her father. He took it, using the same words and gestures that Nobu did. Fumie also did exactly like before. By the time Fumie walked to her eldest sister Chihiro with a fresh cup of tea, Rin was no longer watching.

Rin could not believe how slow and stiff this was. Despite what both Nobu and Toyoka said about Chanoyu, it was mind-numbing just to sit and wait for Fumie to make the tea and then serve it to one person, and then do it again. And she also noted that everyone said the same words. Was the tea that good as they claim? She did not know what this tea tasted like. Or maybe she forgot. But all she could do is wait now until the cup comes to her.

It was her turn now. As the kettle boiled, the bubbles suddenly rolled and surged. Fumie immediately dipped cold water from the chinaware jar into the kettle. That restored order. She then did the rest of the procedure without any other major incident.

Now Rin saw her coming to her. Rin quickly got up. Fumie bowed, presenting the tea to her. Rin bowed back.

"The tea is done. Thank you for presenting it to me," Rin said. She then put out her hands to take the tea from Fumie. Rin was careful not to drop it or let a single drop from the bowl, lest she ruined the ceremony for a very likely unsympathetic Fumie. Rin turned the bowl to a good spot and drank from it.

Yuck.

Rin tried not to gag. After all this time preparing the tea, Fumie would have been mad if Rin showed any sign of disgust. Instead she keeled over with the bowl in her hands.

"Rin!" Nobu yelled, walking to her.

"I thought you said that she was well enough," Toshiki said.

"You're supposed to skim the scum off first!" Fumie yelled at her.

"Are you all right, Rin?" Nobu asked. He leaned toward her.

Rin coughed, trying to prevent the tea from coming up her throat. The tea was horrible. She could not imagine how anyone could swallow it; much less not bring it up again.

She dropped the tea bowl.

"No!" Fumie yelled. It was too late. The tea bowl shattered.

"She must be getting sick again!" Nobu said in alarm.

"Is it Himitsu's poison?" Chihiro asked him.

In Rin's mind she could hear yelling from everywhere. The effort to keep from throwing up has taxed her body, and now she was feeling hot as well. She opened her eyes and saw the pieces of the bowl and the green tea that had been spilled with it.

"I-I am so sorry!" Rin tried to apologize. She looked all around. She could see the concerned look of most of the observers, the sad, tear-filled face of a disappointed Kaoru, the alarmed face of Nobu, and most of all, the red-faced, angry look of Fumie.

'They hate me!' Rin thought. 'I have ruined everything!' With that, she got up and ran out of the tea house.

"Rin-chan!" Nobu yelled, but Rin did not stop. Her legs hurt, possibly from cramping due to sitting so long, but she did not care. All she knew is that she had ruined the tea ceremony. She could not have come at all. She did not fit in with it.

Rin did not fit in at all.

When she was always in trouble, she would always run to Sesshoumaru. Depending on what the trouble was, he would look at her with his stoic expression of his, say a few words to her, or go after the source of the trouble. But he was not there to help her now.

"Where are you?" Rin screamed at the top of her lungs. "Why can't you just show up?" She ran into the house.

"Rin, how-" Toyoka started to say when Rin collapsed onto the floor. "Rin?" She saw Rin clutching her fists. "Oh dear." She then got a blanket and put it over her.

"Grandmother!" Nobu yelled as he entered the house. "How is Rin?"

"I am afraid not so well" Toyoka replied. "What happened? Did she get sick?"

"I am not sure" Nobu replied. "I think the tea did not agree with her. This happened after she drank the tea."

"You don't think that something in the tea may have caused Rin's condition to worsen?" Toyoka asked him.

"It was warm," Nobu said. "I don't know if that was a factor."

"The human body is just as warm. It was probably a coincidence," Toyoka said.

"I was the one that told her to come," Nobu said. "I should apologize to Fumie when I see her again."

"You don't have to be apologetic," Toyoka said. "You did not foresee this happening."

"Still I know that Fumie will not be happy," Nobu told her. "Kaoru didn't even get to take part before this started."

"Perhaps you can arrange it again," Toyoka suggested.

"I'll have to prepare the house and Fumie will have to prepare the food and her techniques once more. I don't think she'll like to do that again." Toyoka put a blanket over her.

"So what do you think we should do about Rin?" Toyoka asked.

"I'll put her in the altar room" Nobu answered. "I'll then pray to Amida Buddha for her recovery."

"Remember that Hanae is going to come and pray tomorrow morning," Toyoka told him.

"I'm sure that she'll not disturb her," Nobu told her. She nodded and gently picked her up and placed her in the altar room.

"Do you want a cup of tea?" Toyoka asked him. He looked up from his praying position.

"Yes Grandmother" Nobu replied. "I have to confess that Fumie's tea left a taste to be desired. She would need to practice to use the right amount of water for each cup of tea."

"It does take practice to make a good cup of tea," Toyoka noted. "But I believe that the toughest part will be telling her that."

"That requires some skill as well," Nobu admitted. "But I'm not worried about that yet." She nodded and left him with Rin.

"I am sorry for what happened" Nobu said. "I shall make up by fervently praying to Amida Buddha." At that he took a bunch of prayer beads and recited healing recitations that he hoped would aid her, both physically and spiritually.

End of Chapter Eight

Once again, I apologize for the seemingly long delay. I depended on the three resources for this chapter, so I had to put everything in order, write the chapter down, edit it, type it and upload it. I hope you did enjoy this chapter. The next chapter will be on Sesshoumaru. Inu-Yasha was created by Rumiko Takahashi. Please do not forget to review!


	9. Sesshoumaru's Challenge

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Chapter Nine of "To Be Human: Prelude" by Melinda-chan

Thank you for your reviews! I did such hard work on my last chapter that I am very happy with any response I got. Once again, I thank you!

Note: This chapter will contain violence and a character death. Everything will turn out well in the end, but for some readers, reader discretion is advised.

Now that is over with, let this chapter begin!

"My lord?" Jaken said. His great lord, the dog demon, Sesshoumaru, was lying down next to a tree stump. A small group of slain bandits laid on the ground next to him. "Are we going to go now?"

"Himitsu will be after me no matter where I go" Sesshoumaru said. "I shall not run away from him."

"He had the nerve to support Ryukossei, the demon that fought your father and caused his death" Jaken said. At that, the dog demon looked at him.

"He shall die. Do not doubt that," Sesshoumaru said. Jaken nodded. The imp then looked at the slain bandits. "What shall I do with them?"

"Do what you always do" Sesshoumaru said almost dismissively. Jaken chuckled.

"I never get tired of this" Jaken said. He put the staff down onto the ground. "Nintoujou! Fire away!" At that, the old man's head opened its mouth, engulfing the dead men's bodies and the ground in flames. Sesshoumaru simply licked his claws.

"We should go now," the dog demon said. Jaken looked at the black pit that he had just created and then at Sesshoumaru.

"Where do you think we should go, my lord?" Jaken asked. He saw his lord give him a dark look. "I mean where we can be able to attack more effectively?"

"Himitsu will be able to spot us anywhere," Sesshoumaru said. His ability to go quietly sometimes eludes even I, Sesshoumaru. Besides, I do not want to be disturbed by these foolish robbers. There seem to be a lot of them in this part of the land."

"I agree, my lord!" Jaken said. "An and Un, Sesshoumaru-sama wants us to leave this place! Take us somewhere those pesky humans won't bother us!" The two-headed dragon simply lowered its head, allowing Jaken to go atop it. The dog demon slowly got on as well.

"An and Un! Get up and away!" Jaken shouted. However, the dragon did not move. Jaken tightened the bridles. "An and Un! Get up and away!" There was still no response. "An and Un, did you fell asleep all of a sudden?"

An and Un growled. This alarmed the imp.

"What is wrong?" Jaken asked. Sesshoumaru rose up.

"I should have known" Sesshoumaru growled. He then let out the yellow power whip (for lack of a better name) at a nearby tree. All of a sudden a bunch of eyeless black "snakes" came out.

"Ah! Himitsu's snakes!" Jaken yelled in alarm.

"Don't let them near you both" Sesshoumaru ordered. He then jumped off the two-headed dragon and used his power whip to destroy a few of the "snakes."

"Stay away!" Jaken said as he used the Nintoujou to blast some of them. An and Un helped too by issuing fire balls from their mouths.

As for Sesshoumaru, he was busy slashing them away with his poisonous claws and whip. His whip was swinging left and right. A few minutes later, the dog demon realized something.

'They are not attacking me!' he thought. 'Why are they here for?' It was then that he heard Jaken scream.

"Get away from me, you filthy vermins!" Jaken said. He was now using the Nintoujou as a warding stick, swiping it at any black "snake" that came close to him. Unfortunately, neither him or An and Un were aware that a few "snakes" got to An and Un's backside.

It was too late for Sesshoumaru to give out a warning.

One of the black "snakes" bit An and Un's tail.

The two-headed dragon roared with great pain. Sesshoumaru felt a strong twinge in his heart. He knew what he had to do.

"Jaken! Get away as fast as you can!" Sesshoumaru almost burst his lungs out as he screamed. Jaken almost fell off- it was either from the cry of An and Un or Sesshoumaru's scream or maybe even both. In any event, Jaken scooted out of there as fast as he could.

"My lord! An and Un are in great danger!" Jaken told him.

"I know that, Jaken," Sesshoumaru said. "But I have a more important thing to do first-" And with that, he took out Toujikin and slayed all of the black "snakes" that were going away with one blast.

"It doesn't make sense, my lord" Jaken said. "After they hurt An and Un, they just tried to run away."

"I can only guess at Himitsu's motives," the dog demon said as he started walking toward the two-headed dragon. "But it's apparent that An and Un was the target all along."

"You really think so? Why is that?" Jaken asked him.

"Himitsu wants to kill all my allies, or he really wants to piss me off," Sesshoumaru said. He stopped right before the two-headed dragon. They let out a low rumble.

"Is An and Un going to be all right, my lord?" Jaken asked. The dog demon looked back at him.

"They're dying, Jaken," Sesshoumaru said.

"What!" Jaken said in disbelief.

"An and Un, look at me," Sesshoumaru commanded. The two-headed dragon did as he said. "You have been a very faithful companion to me for so many years. You deserved a better fate than this." The dog demon took off An and Un's muzzles (I think they are muzzles) and took off his bridles as well. The two-headed dragon laid very low, putting both heads on the ground. They looked up dimly at their master.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, please don't tell me you're going to…" Jaken said. He raced to his master's side.

"I am not going to kill him," the dog demon said. "He's already dead."

"Wha-what!" Jaken said, but he saw the two-headed dragon and knew that Sesshoumaru was telling the truth. It was then that the imp noticed that his lord was taking stones off the ground and putting them atop of another. "What are you doing?"

"Making a challenge to Himitsu" Sesshoumaru replied. He put the white stones atop of the other. He then pressed a nail against his thumb until he drew blood. Jaken looked alarmed but said nothing.

The dog demon then proceeded to draw characters from his very own blood! He then plucked out a few strands of his white hair and put them in front of the stones. Some of the strands became red with blood.

Jaken's curiosity finally got the better of him.

"My lord, is there a reason for this?" Jaken asked.

"Can you not read?" Sesshoumaru replied. The imp looked at the red characters. Some of the blood was dripping down, but most of the characters were still readable.

The message reads, more or less, in English:

I, Sesshoumaru, have challenged you to a blood duel! Come out from your hiding place and fight me!

"You're challenging him to a duel, my lord?" Jaken asked.

"What do you think I wrote?" Sesshoumaru replied.

"But do you think he would- huh?" Jaken then saw his lord go toward the two-headed dragon. "What are you going to do now?"

"They have come for him," the dog demon said.

"Huh?" Jaken said. He then saw Sesshoumaru take out Tenseiga. "Oh you mean 'them'."

"The messengers of the other world. I can see them," the dog demon said. "And now-" he raised the Tenseiga. "-I shall destroy them!" At once he swiped his sword atop of An and Un's heads. The little demons that would claim the life of the two-headed dragon disappeared as soon as they were touched by the sword of life.

"An and Un is alive now?" Jaken said, going even closer to them.

"Get up An and Un. You're safe now" Sesshoumaru commanded. At once, a low rumble was heard. One eye opened from An's head. It made another rumble. "Do you think I'll allow a low-life like Himitsu to kill one that has served my side for years?"

An and Un immediately raised their heads and let out a joyful rumble. They tried to rub against Sesshoumaru in appreciation, but the dog demon pushed their heads though he allowed a lick from Un's mouth. They moved all of their body parts just to make sure they were truly alive.

"My lord, I think that An and Un is happy now," Jaken said.

"I have now used Tenseiga to bring back the lives of all those by my side" Sesshoumaru said in a low voice. He then put back the harness equipment onto An and Un's mouths and necks. "We should go. I shall go to the nearest mountain and wait for Himitsu. If he does not come, I shall go look for him and kill him on the spot."

"Yes my lord" Jaken then nodded. "And if he attempts to escape, I shall use the Nintoujou to try his scaly skin and the rest of him as well!"

"Shall we be off then?" Sesshoumaru said.

"Oh yes my lord! I shall not make you dawdle," Jaken said. An and Un allowed them onto their back.

"An and Un, take us to the closest mountain. If I see Himitsu, I shall 'greet' him with Toukijin," Sesshoumaru said. The two-headed dragon complied.

'Still the question remains, will he actually show up?' the dog demon thought. 'He is still staying close to the village. Is he still seeking Rin?' And with that, they flew to the mountain that could be seen over the horizon. The sky was already turning pink as the sun was beginning to descend.

End of Chapter Nine

I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I just had surgery on May 11 so I'm still recovering. In any event, I hope you like this chapter. Things will pick up after the next chapter, I promise. Inu-Yasha was created by Rumiko Takahashi. Please do not forget to review!


	10. Wild Child

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Chapter Ten of "To Be Human: Prelude" by Melinda-chan

Rin woke up and was surprised to see a long-haired woman kneeling in front of the altar. By her face, Rin realized she was young. The woman was praying, holding the brown and white prayer beads in her hands. Rin kept silent, knowing it would be rude to interrupt her.

"Come here child," the woman finally spoke. Rin looked startled. "Can you not move?" Rin finally found her voice.

"I can move," Rin said. "But I'm not sure if I'm better."

"Don't move then," the woman said. She walked to Rin's futon. "I shall go to you." She then put her yutaka sleeve around Rin's body. "Your name is Rin, right?"

"Yes. My name is Rin," the girl said. The woman smiled.

"I am Hanae," the woman said. She then looked at the idol. "Do you know who this is?"

"Nobu-sama said it was Amida Buddha," Rin replied.

"Yes" Hanae said. "He is the ruler of the Pure Land, where my husband now reside."

"Where is this Pure Land?" Rin asked.

"It's where blessed souls go when they die" Hanae replied.

"Your husband is dead? I'm so sorry. My parents and my siblings are dead too," Rin said.

"Oh that must be horrible for you!" Hanae said. "I do not wish to bring back a horrible memory, but was your family killed by a demon or demons?"

"No," Rin replied in a cold voice. "They were killed by evil men."

"My husband Koichi and I planned on spending the rest of our lives together," the young woman told her. "I was fourteen and he was sixteen. I wanted to have at least seven children with him. But it was not to be. A few days later, Himitsu, the snake demon, attacked our village. Most of our men was killed, including my husband."

"I'm so sorry," Rin said, not knowing what else to say.

"Not all the men and boys were killed" the woman said. "Nobu-sama required that all of those that lost loved ones to pray to Amida Buddha. I continue praying to him not only for Koichi to be in the Pure Land but for me to find a new husband to live the rest of my life with."

"There's no men here for you?" Rin asked her.

"What I want is a holy man, one that desires me and would want me to bear his children," Hanae said. "He needs to be young, but very wise in the world and be able to protect me and our children. But I suppose that is too idealistic." Rin didn't know what to say to that.

"There hasn't been many marriages in this area since Himitsu came here" Hanae continued. "People do not want to be separated from their loved ones. There has been only one marriage so far but the man was barely a man when he got married. He was thirteen."

"That is young," Rin agreed. "You should pray so that Himitsu could be destroyed."

"I know" Hanae said. "Nobu-sama told us that he will destroy the demon. We are afraid for him, however. He is our only priest and he's just a boy." She then looked at the girl. "Are you feeling better now?"

"I'm a little better now," Rin replied. "But I'm a little scared."

"Because of what happened yesterday?" the woman said. Rin looked up in shock. "Something like that could not be kept secret, Rin. That is one of the disadvantages of living in a small village. You should probably go outside and get some fresh air if you can. Nobu-sama has a lot to do anyway."

"He probably will have to apologize to Fumie" Rin said.

"I think he did that already," Hanae said. "Come, I shall take you outside. Kaoru and a few other girls may play with you. Mind you, you should not exert yourself too much. But I feel for a human, you're really special." Rin looked surprised, but she then smiled. She is special, but not for the reason Hanae suspected.

"This one is for Sesshoumaru-sama, this one is for Jaken-sama, this one is for Nobu-sama…" Rin said as she picked flowers in a field. A bunch of flowers were already in her arms. "I wonder if Hanae-san would like some- Hanae-san?"

Rin discovered that she was all alone! Could she have been abandoned? It didn't seem possible.

'Maybe she had to go someplace,' Rin thought. Still the thought of being abandoned frightened her inside. She wondered about Sesshoumaru and Jaken. She knew that Himitsu was also out there. She wanted to go out and find Sesshoumaru, just to see if he's safe. But she felt the beads in her hands. How could she escape from this place when she could not even escape from the poison inside her?

"That demon is still going to be in this village?" Rin suddenly heard Fumie's voice. Rin went down onto the ground, hoping that Fumie and her girl friends wouldn't notice her among the flowers.

"I heard Nobu-sama is talking with the headmen of the other villages," a girl said. Rin realized it was Chihiro, her oldest sister. "Her lord hasn't come for her yet and she's recovering fast."

"Hmm…" Fumie said. "How is a little girl like her able to heal from Himitsu's poisons while our own men and brothers died from him?"

"Maybe she has a natural immunity to poison," Chihiro suggested.

"For a human?" Fumie said in disbelief. "You know that's impossible! Even a miko would die from Himitsu!"

"Then what are you suggesting, Fumie?" Chihiro said.

"Well, we know that she did get sick so she couldn't be a demon…" Fumie said.

"I have heard of villages abandoning children because their parents were too poor to keep them," Chihiro said. "These children are forced to wander throughout the countryside until they are either killed by wild animals or demons or other people or they get adopted by another family."

"A wild child?" another voice- Rin assumed it was Fumie's other sister Hanako- said.

"I don't know what people call them," Chihiro said. "But if she's one of them, wouldn't she still be a human?"

"If she's a wild child, she could have some immunity to poison" Fumie said. "One who was abandoned into the wild, and raised in the wild could become like a beast."

How insulting! Rin thought. If she were with Sesshoumaru-sama, Fumie would have been dead by now. How dare Fumie called her a beast! Without thinking, she got up from the flowers and ran toward the group.

"She's here!" Kaoru yelled out.

"Rin, what are you doing out here?" Fumie said a bit shocked. Rin didn't respond, but went straight at Fumie. "Hey!"

Rin swiped at her.

"Stop her!" Fumie commanded. Chihiro complied.

"Let me go!" Rin yelled, trying to let go of the arms of Chihiro.

"Get Obou-sama or Father!" Fumie ordered.

"Let me go!" Rin screamed again.

"LET HER GO!" a booming voice sounded. Fumie was stunned. Rin took this chance to get away from Chihiro's arms. She screamed and ran to the source of the voice.

"Rin-chan?" the voice said. Rin looked up. It was Nobu!

"Obou-sama, why on earth are you defending her?" Fumie yelled. She ran to him. Rin screamed and went behind Nobu.

"What happened here?" Nobu asked. "Hanae told me to come here because she had to go back to her home. And now I see Rin screaming and running to me!"

"That girl attacked me like a wild animal! I swear she's half- beast!" Fumie said. Nobu looked at Rin. Rin looked absolutely scared.

"Rin-chan, what happened?" Nobu asked her.

"She-she called me a beast!" Rin said.

"Attacking her like that wouldn't help your case," Nobu said to Rin.

"Is she really a wild child?" Kaoru asked him.

"She's just a sick girl" Nobu answered. He then looked at Rin. "I'm going to take you home."

"But-" Rin started to say.

"You're coming with me, Rin-chan!" Nobu yelled. Rin stopped her mouth. She didn't like the way he was looking at her so sternly.

"She's going to leave soon right?" Fumie asked as Rin and Nobu started to walk away from her.

"When she gets well. Her lord is supposed to be coming for her" Nobu told her. Fumie looked surprised.

"Well, I hope it's soon! I mean she's been here long enough!" Fumie said. Rin did her best not to attack her again.

"I shall see you later," Nobu said. He took Rin's hand and took off before Fumie could say another word.

"You have to apologize for what you did," he said. They were both inside his house now.

"Why should I? She was the one that spoke rudely about me," Rin said.

"It doesn't matter who caused it" Nobu told her. "The fact is, you're a guest of this village. If she wronged you, come to me and I'll try to resolve it. I do not want you to use violence again. Too many wars in this area have proven that violence solves nothing. I do not want any big conflict in this village, do you understand?"

"But why should I apologize? She said real mean things to me," Rin said. Nobu sighed.

"I already apologized to her about yesterday" Nobu told her. "Even if it wasn't your fault, it upsetted her that you ruined her tea ceremony."

"I know" Rin said. She felt frustrated. Why is Sesshoumaru-sama taking so long to find her?

"Well, I will be going out tonight" Nobu said. "No one has seen signs of Himitsu around, so I'm going to go out and search for him."

"Are you sure?" Rin said.

"Don't worry, Rin-chan. I have done this a dozen times since Himitsu attacked this village" Nobu replied. "There also have been reports of a fire-spewing demon at the local spring. It has not bothered us, but I want to make sure it wouldn't pose a threat."

"Is it still there?" Rin asked him.

"As far as I know, yes," Nobu replied. "Why don't you go sleep in the altar room? I know that you need to rest if you want to get well."

"Okay," Rin said, not sounding happy. But she did not go to the altar room and laid down on the futon. Tears came down her face as she did so. She felt like a stranger among her own people. She wanted so much to be back with Sesshoumaru and Jaken.

Rin did not know it, but Nobu was staring at her from the door. He saw her close her eyes. He then sighed and left.

Rin woke up to voices.

"Are you sure her lord will not come for her?" a man asked. Rin put her right ear on the paper-screen door.

"It's been almost two weeks and her lord still has not come," Nobu said. "I'm not saying that she's lying, but her lord has not come for her. We need to believe that either something happened to him or he went on without her."

'No!' Rin thought. 'He'll never leave me!' Yet she knew it was taking Sesshoumaru a long time to find her. Normally, he would be able to pick up her scent and find her. Did something really happen to him?

"In any case, she cannot stay here" Toshiki said. Oh, how she hates him and the rest of his family! "She's not going to stay any longer. She doesn't appear to have a physical problem. She can be used as a servant of some sort."

This not only shocked Rin but horrified her as well. She has been privileged at being at the feet of Sesshoumaru-sama, the highest lord there is. She will not stoop down to serve a real human! That's it! She made up her mind!

Rin did not want to hear the rest of the conversation. She went back to her futon. Tears came down her face again. As far as she is concerned, she has been sold off. But she knew now what to do. The only thing she is worried is when she can put her plan into action.

"Rin-chan, are you okay?" Nobu asked. They were eating now.

"Hmm?" Rin said, looking up at him. One of her chopsticks was in her mouth.

"Rin-chan, I have noticed that you're very quiet" Nobu said. Rin felt like biting into her chopsticks. She had to remind herself that Nobu didn't know she overheard him and the men. She decided not to tell him- it would do her no good now.

"I got nothing to say" Rin simply said. Nobu looked at her concerned. He was going to say something when a man entered the house.

"Nobu-sama! Nobu-sama! We need your help!" the man said. Nobu immediately got up.

"What is it?" Nobu asked him. The man was covered in sweat.

"Forgive me, Nobu-sama, for interrupting your meal," the man said. He then bowed down. "But a short time ago, one of our men saw a snake trail near our village." Nobu grabbed his sword and put it into his sash.

"Is it Himitsu?" he asked him.

"We don't know yet" the man replied. "But it does look like a big snake."

"Where is it heading?" Nobu asked, his face showing eagerness.

"It's heading for the east toward the mountain spring" the man started to say. Nobu turned to his grandmother.

"Take care of Rin-chan. I'm going to investigate this" Nobu said. "I shall come back before sundown, if I can." He turned to the man. "Take me to where the tracks are." At that, the man nodded and complied, leaving Rin and Toyoka alone in the house. The old woman sighed.

"I'm afraid that he's becoming obsessed with killing Himitsu," Toyoka said. "I do not know whether he'll be able to balance his other duties for long."

"But isn't Himitsu is going away from this village?" Rin asked her.

"I doubt he'll stay away for long," the old woman said. "He's probably off to harass another village, or perhaps he's going to fight someone.

"Someone?" Rin said. 'Like Sesshoumaru?' she thought.

"If he's going to fight someone, then it would be better for Nobu to finish him right now than for him to cause more trouble" the old woman said. She stood up. "I'll go prepare the prayer beads and the o-fudas when he returns." At that she went to the altar room.

Rin begin to think.

Sesshoumaru-sama was obviously taking his time. Was something else occupying him? She then remembered Nobu's words: "There also have been reports of a fire-spewing demon at the local spring." She then remembered Fumie's words: "The ladies said that a demon had prevented them from going to the spring to get water. They said that it has a stick that- that shoots fire, I believe." At that, her eyes went wide open.

'It has to be Jaken-sama. And if Jaken-sama is nearby, then…' Rin did not have to think further. Rin knew that this was the time to do it.

'I got to find them!' Rin thought. And with that, Rin left.

A short time later, Nobu returned.

"Grandmother! It's Himitsu! Where are my o-fudas?" he yelled.

"I got them here!" Toyoka shouted from the altar room. She came out with a bunch in her arms.

"If he's going to the mountain spring, then I better get an overcoat and hat too," Nobu said. He then looked around. "Where's Rin-chan?"

"She was here when I went to the altar room," his grandmother said. Nobu's eyes went blank in horror.

'She couldn't have gone after Himitsu herself!' Nobu thought.

"Grandmother, give me my overcoat and cape now!" Nobu ordered. "I'm going to find Rin-chan! I'll then find and slay Himitsu!"

He only hoped that he would not have to do both at the same time.

End of Chapter Ten

I like to thank Spiritual Wolf, SereneDolphin, Kurai, ladyremix and Rayama325 for reviewing. This chapter marks the turning point of the story, so hopefully I'll be able to finish this in four more chapters (that's the plan at least). I'm hoping to continue this series with "To Be (Almost) Human" which will have the Inu-Yasha gang. I already got the premise all set.

Since I got enough reviews to elicit my response, I'll do it now. So here it goes:

Kurai: I do not mind you "lurking" into my story- I imagine most fanfiction authors have more readers than reviewers anyway. Still I'm happy that you finally reviewed. And yes, I take great pride in researching for my stories. Research is in fact essential to writing, especially when you're writing about another country. Please review again! And check out my other works if you want to!

ladyremix: Thanks for reviewing! I can't contact you, so I'm happy that you reviewed again! Please continue to do so!

Spiritual Wolf: I'm always happy when a new person reviews! And thank you for reviewing "Millenniumon's Revenge" as well! Review my other stories if you want to!

Rayame 325: Thank you for reviewing as well! I'm in the meat of things, so to speak, so I hope you'll enjoy the rest of my story too!

SereneDolphin: Thank you for reviewing "To Be Human: Prelude" and "Millenniumon's Revenge"! I didn't expect you to review my stories in return! You really made some notable comments and questions. I already replied to most of your comments either by e-mail or when reviewing your story "The Power At Hand." But I'll provide what I didn't answer right here:

Writing about Sesshoumaru can be tough- you have to know his sense of honour and way of thinking but you have to read through the lines, so to speak, in order to do this. But once you figure out what he will do or not do in a situation, then it becomes easier. You have to get inside his head, so to speak, and see things through his eyes. We know that he's not ungrateful and that he doesn't waste time getting into useless fights or hold unnecessary grudges. In this way, he's better than Inu-Yasha.

I do rely on Chris Rijk's website for my research: it's probably the most complete website on the manga. I actually liked it because of the notes, which can be very informative. As well, the Viz version is inverted, which has its own problems. I've actually downloaded some of his chapters, compare it with the Viz version, and added my own notes. I think this has really helped me with my research, since it has helped me notice different interpretations and mistakes from both versions. So far, I have done Volume One of the manga this way.

While I can't be dogmatic about it, Tenseiga seems to be able to do other things besides resurrecting people. After all, it did protect Sesshoumaru from the full brunt of Inu-Yasha's Wind Scar attack. He did end up being hurt by the attack, however, so he's not totally invulnerable. It is the "sword of life" after all- its duty is to save and protect anyone that Sesshoumaru desire. I have read fanfiction stories where Sesshoumaru healed Rin by Tenseiga from an illness. While I have not seen this done in the anime or the manga, I can't see how it could not happen, especially from a fatal illness or poison. (Sesshoumaru acquired one other great use of Tensegia, but I do not want to reveal manga spoilers right now).

A blood duel is a duel to the death. Maybe I should have explained it a bit further.

Arranged marriages (called omiai) are quite common in Japan, even today when many people are too busy for a social life. As for Nobu and Fumie, Toshiki did not want his own daughters to be without husbands, so after Himitsu killed most of the men (and the older boys), he arranged for Fumie to be betrothed to Nobu, who was the most prominent male beside Toshiki himself, being the priest. (Most Buddhist groups allow their priests to marry). Though Nobu accepted out of politeness, his true feelings is pretty evident.

Let me know when I make grammar mistakes. I can usually correct them if I knew specifically what they are. (English grammar was not my best subject in school, mind you).

If you want to read more of my works, please do so! I got more Inu-Yasha and Digimon works, plus a few works from other animes and mangas as well!

All the others who reviewed, thank you for reviewing! Please review again!

Inu-Yasha (1996) was created by Rumiko Takahashi and distributed by Viz and Sunrise. Please do not forget to review!


	11. Rin's Challenges

**Chapter Eleven of "To Be Human: Prelude" by Melinda-chan**

It was completely dark.

Damn.

Rin was now completely lost. The moon was barely a sliver in the sky, providing very little light for her. How could she move with so little light to provide her way?

Idiot.

Rin knew her only hope was to lay low until the morning comes. She thought she could find the spring and Sesshoumaru-sama, but now it seems that either the spring was farther than she thought or that she had gone off in the wrong direction.

Rin went under a tree and hugged herself. She could hear all the sounds of the forest, including the animals. She felt so alone now.

"Sesshoumaru-sama…" Rin said.

She could still remember when she first met the dog demon. She was scurrying around for food in the woods- the grown-ups hardly gave her any food- when she saw him on the ground. He was injured- she knew that because he was barely moving. Despite her fear, she wanted to help him, so she moved toward him. He suddenly growled at her. She moved back, but her concern for him overcame any initial fear that she may have had. Cautiously at first, she came toward him again. She could hear his heavy breathing. She saw he was dirty, so she splashed the water from the bamboo container onto him. At first he looked puzzled, but he then looked away and closed his eyes. She breathed a silent sigh of relief. At least he didn't attack her.

All day long Rin kept thinking of the demon, as she went about her business. Even though she still didn't regain her voice back yet, she thought of things to ask him. Where did he come from? What was his name? Why was he hurt?

Believing that he refused her earlier offer of wild mushrooms and fish because it was insufficient for such a great demon, Rin went hunting for small animals. It was not easy, since the grown-ups would beat her up for catching fish without their permission. Still, she managed to kill a mouse and a rat and presented it to the white-haired demon on a large leaf. She felt very disappointed and frustrated when he once rejected the meal. Maybe her didn't want her company at all?

It was then when he said those words:

"What happened to your face?"

At first Rin was puzzled, since the demon wasn't even looking at her when he said that. But then she smiled.

Since her family's death, no one had bothered to ask her how she feels or anything else about her. The villagers, whom were supposed to help orphans, instead cast her off as a burden, a troublemaker at best. But this strange demon, who would likely not be around humans in his natural habitat, asked her about her face! Despite anything else he might have said, there was one thing that was crystal clear in her mind: He cared for her!

He absolutely cared for her!

She now knew in her mind that he was her friend, and he did prove that in a very big way.

CAW! CAW! CAW!

Rin's eyes went wide open as she heard the crow's call. She looked up; hoping it was just a normal crow. But she was wrong.

The crow had three red-coloured eyes. It flapped its wings and dove right at her.

Rin screamed.

She then threw a rock at it.

"Go away, you stupid bird!" Rin yelled. She then ran off.

The crow promptly flew up and followed her in the air. Rin raced to the river.

'I got to go to the water!' Rin thought. 'The crow can't get me once I get inside the water!' She then jumped into the water.

"CAW! CAW! CAW!" the crow sounded. It waited for a while before it flew away, still cawing.

Rin gave out a sigh of relief. She was wet, but at least she was safe for the moment.

Just then Rin heard something behind her.

"What do I have here? A human girl?" the creature said. Rin, scared as heck, looked back. The figure rose out of the water.

'It's a kappa!' Rin thought. 'They eat children!' She had to think fast or she might end up as kappa food.

"Who are you to cross my river without any payment?" the kappa questioned. Rin was almost shivering with fright. She heard that kappas liked cucumbers, but she had none in her hands. She then thought of something.

"I am Rin. Nice to meet you," Rin said. She then put her hands together and bowed.

"I am glad to-" the kappa started to say when his bowing caused the bowl on his head to empty its water. "Ah! My water!"

"Now that you lost your power, tell me where the mountain spring near Nobu's village is?" Rin questioned.

"If you want to go there, you would have gone east instead of south," the kappa told her. She knew it- she had gone off in the wrong direction!

"Where am I now?" Rin asked.

"You're in the river of Kyuuri, south of Nobu's village," the kappa said. "You must go north again until you see the mountain. The spring will be at the left of the mountain."

"Thank you, Kappa-san" Rin said. She then bowed again. So did the kappa. "Now don't submerge yourself until after I leave the river!"

"Of course," the kappa said. Rin at once got out of the river and walked up north.

'Just in case…' Rin said, then she broke off a low branch from a tree as she walked on. She then looked up and saw the mountain.

'That must be it!' Rin thought. She then ran toward the left side of it.

'Now where is the spring?' Rin asked herself. She then saw a wooden house. She blinked in surprise. Someone actually lives near the mountain?

Rin slowly walked toward the house. The door was opened. The girl entered silently, looking around.

"Hello?" Rin said. There was a small oil lamp on the floor. She picked it up and used it to search the place. On one side of the wall, she saw an assortment of weapons!

"Oh wow!" Rin said. Just then she heard a loud voice.

"WHO IS THERE!" the voice sounded. Rin turned back and saw a large, big-nosed creature with an axe in one hand and a bunch of logs in the other.

"I am so sorry, Demon-san!" Rin said. She then bowed.

"Who are you?" the demon questioned.

"I am Rin. Please do not try to eat me!" the girl pleaded, wondering what she could do if he actually tried to.

"I am a tengu," the demon said. "I live near this mountain for many years. No one has left this house without receiving a challenge from me."

"What do you mean by a challenge?" Rin inquired.

"You must defeat me in open combat," the tengu replied.

"But I'm not a fighter!-" Rin started to protest.

"If you wish not to fight me, give me your right hand!" the tengu said. Rin became shocked.

"My hand?" Rin said, grabbing her own hand.

"Yes" the tengu replied. "What we tengus value most of all is bravery, so either fight me or cut off your hand and give it to me!"

"No!" Rin blurted out.

"Then choose your weapon and come outside and fight me!" the tengu said.

"But it's dark outside!-" Rin started to protest.

"Hmph. I'll light a lantern for you" the tengu said. "Now that's decided, pick a weapon from the wall. My advice: Pick a weapon that's lightweight and easy to control."

Rin looked at the array of weapons that was on the wall. Many were swords- mostly katanas. Others were spears, knives, shurikens, muskets and a chain weapon that looked similar to what Kohaku uses. She stepped forward to it.

"Do you want the kusarikama then?" the tengu said.

Rin hesitated. The kusarikama seemed a bit too large for her. She then saw a spear. It was large, but it looked like she could handle it. She took it from the wall.

"A naginata? Good choice for someone so young," the tengu said. "But it has been said that it takes three times the strength to fight a spear with a sword."

"A sword?" Rin said.

"Well, my axe may not be a sword" the tengu said. "But it can still perform like one. Now let's go outside."

"But I cannot see well at night-" Rin started to protest again.

"I'll get a lantern. Now go outside and do not run away from me or I shall take you down!" the tengu warned her. Rin felt disheartened.

"Alright, if you are ready, let this fight begin!" the tengu said. Rin put the naginata ahead of her. "You can give me your hand instead."

"No!" Rin said.

"Very well, if you'll not give me your hand, I'll force you to give me your head!" the tengu yelled. He then attempted to strike at Rin. She put up her spear so that the tip of the spear hit his axe.

It broke off.

"I told you that it takes more strength to fight a sword with a simple spear," the tengu said, then swung his axe again. The spear cracked in her hands. "You're too weak! Give me your hand if you don't want to give me your head!"

"No! I got to see my lord!" Rin yelled. She then tried to dislodge his axe from his hands but her spear broke entirely in half.

"You cannot fight me, so let me take off your head!" the tengu said. He then proceeded to strike her with his axe. Rin shut her eyes. She knew now it was hopeless to resist.

Rin then heard laughter.

"Open your eyes, little darling," the tengu said in a gentle voice. Rin did, and saw that he had his axe back on his shoulder.

"Weren't you going to kill me?" Rin questioned.

"Why should I kill you?" the tengu replied. "You know I could have done so, but I did tell you we tengu admire bravery, and you are very brave. If you attempted to run away, I would have taken you down. But you've proven yourself brave. Your lord should be proud."

"Oh yes!" Rin said, feeling proud herself. She then bowed. "Thank you, Tengu-sama. I'll leave now." She then proceeded to get up and walked away.

"Wait! What is your and your lord's name? I would like to know your names in case we meet again," the tengu said. Rin turned back to look at him.

"My name is Rin and my lord's name is Sesshoumaru," she said. She then walked away.

'Sesshoumaru? She doesn't mean the eldest son of the Dog General, does she? I thought he didn't like humans!' the tengu thought. He then went back to his home. 'That girl must be special, after all.'

Rin was back in the darkness. She looked up at the sky. The moon, which guided her for so long, was now covered in clouds. It was enough when Sesshoumaru-sama or Jaken-sama or An and Un were with her, but she now felt so…vulnerable.

'All I have to do is find Sesshoumaru-sama and everything will be alright,' Rin thought. She then saw a cave, and went inside it.

Rin sat down on the cold floor. Her bare feet were getting cold. She huddled herself.

'I can stay here for the night,' Rin thought. It was not what she desired, but she was getting tired. She rested her head against the cave wall and closed her eyes, hoping for a good night's sleep.

She then heard a noise.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" Rin said. She dashed toward the mouth of the cave, only to discover it was not Sesshoumaru-sama.

It made a hissing sound.

Rin screamed and tried to run away as fast as she could, but Himitsu was quicker.

"Rin-chan…Rin-chan…RIN-CHAN!" Nobu's voice rang out. He had a lantern in his left hand while he had his shakujou in his right one. He walked slowly, stopping very few minutes to hear for any familiar noises.

'Where did Rin-chan go?' Nobu wondered to himself. 'I hope Himitsu didn't get her!' He then felt his sword vibrate. 'A demon is nearby! If it's Himitsu, then this could be my chance at finally defeating him!'

He walked toward a grassy plain, at the foot of the mountain. He had his right hand ready to grab his sword if necessary. However, when he finally saw the demon, he was completely unprepared for what he saw.

It was obviously a beast demon, but he was dressed in fine samurai armour and aristocratic clothing. His fur was pure white, and he had what looks like a piece of light-coloured fur hanging over his right shoulder. He also had two swords on his right side.

'What type of demon is that? It's beautiful!' Nobu thought.

The demon suddenly looked his way.

End of Chapter Eleven

Well, I think all of my readers know what will happen next. Will Nobu be able to put his hatred of demons aside? Will he be able to find Rin? (with the demon's help, of course!) Will they be able to rescue Rin if they do find her? Will the identity of Rin's lord be revealed to Nobu, and how will he react if he does found out? Keep reading, because I ensure you it's going to be a dandy! Only three more chapters to go! (at least that's the plan!) Inu-Yasha was created by Rumiko Takahashi. Do not forget to review!


	12. Nobu and The White Demon

**Chapter Twelve of "To Be Human: Prelude" by Melinda-chan**

Nobu froze as he saw the white-haired demon turned toward him. The demon looked almost pretty like a female, but Nobu could tell by the demon's attire that it was a male. Nobu now felt alarmed. He knew it was a beast demon, so would he use his claws or one of his swords if he decided to kill him?

Nobu grabbed his own sword and put it in front of him. He looked sternly at the demon. The demon didn't even bat an eye at him.

"If you plan on cutting me down with that sword, I advise you to reconsider," the demon said. Nobu kept his hands on the sword, but did not go forward.

"My lord, why are you- ahhh!" another demon, a small one, came forward and saw Nobu. "The boy priest!"

"Do I know you?" Nobu asked with a sweatdrop running down his head.

"You're the boy priest!" the small demon said, pointing at him with his staff. Nobu saw that its staff had two heads on it!

"You, the little demon! Where did you get those heads?" Nobu questioned.

"Why should I answer to you?" the little demon said. He then looked at the white-haired demon. "My lord, this boy is a priest!"

"How do you know about me? This is the first time I've seen YOU!" Nobu said.

"A boy named Nobu is serving as the priest of the local villages," the small demon said. "By the look of his clothes, this must be the boy!"

"Only him?" the white-haired demon said.

"Himitsu was said to kill all of the other priests," the small demon said. He then looked at Nobu. "It looks like he might be one of their sons."

"My father was the Obou-sama of the village," Nobu said. "It was my duty to succeed my father, even if I'm just a boy." He then cocked up an eyebrow. "But why are you here? I demand to know!"

"May I ask why are you here?" the white-haired demon asked. "Aren't you suppose to be protecting the village from Himitsu's henchmen?"

"And how would you know that?" Nobu said. "I'm searching for a member of my village. Well, actually, she's a guest of my village. Her name is Rin."

"You went out of the village just to search for one person?" the white-haired demon questioned.

"I'm the only one that can save her from Himitsu," Nobu said.

"You said that you are going to save her from Himitsu?" the white-haired demon said. "Do you know where he is?"

"No!" Nobu said. "I have heard of a demon in the spring, so I came to the spring, but I didn't see anyone."

"He must be the one that came to the spring with that girl, Sesshoumaru-sama," the imp said.

'That dog demon is named Sesshoumaru?' Nobu thought.

"Are you planning to defeat Himitsu by yourself?" the dog demon asked Nobu. "You're a fool."

"I have a weapon that Himitsu cannot defeat it, if I can use it properly," Nobu said. The dog demon just turned away, and started walking away. "You don't care about that?"

"I'm on a quest of my own," Sesshoumaru said. "I do not mind if you follow me, but if you are going to block my way, I shall without fail destroy you."

"If you are going to find Himitsu, then I will follow you" Nobu said. The dog demon just kept walking away.

"My lord, are you going to allow him to follow us?" the imp asked.

"As long as he doesn't interfere, I don't care," Sesshoumaru answered.

"But my lord-" the imp started to say.

"Jaken…" the dog demon growled.

"I'm sorry, my lord," Jaken said.

'This beast demon is really a lord?' Nobu thought. He then decided to walk beside the imp.

"May I ask you a question?" Nobu asked.

"Depends on what you'll ask," Jaken said guardedly.

"What does your lord know about Himitsu?" Nobu asked.

"Why should I tell you?" Jaken replied. That made Nobu grab him by his collar. "Wha-what?"

"Listen to me," Nobu said right to his face. "I'm a priest, an obou-sama, of the Amida Buddha faith. I have renounced causing needless suffering to animals and humans. However, my faith says nothing about causing needless suffering to demons." Sesshoumaru walked on indifferently as Nobu put his shakujou menacingly at Jaken's face.

"How dare you threaten me like that!" Jaken said. "If you dare to even move that stick of yours a finger's width more at me, I'll-"

SWING! BONK! SWING! BONK! SWING! BONK! SWING! BONK! SWING! BONK!

"How's that?" Nobu said. Jaken's head now had five bumps on his head. He was lying on the ground, looking badly hurt. Nobu walked off looking very pleased of himself.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, are you able to at least hear Himitsu?" Nobu asked.

"It's plain 'Sesshoumaru' or 'Sesshoumaru-san' if you prefer," the dog demon said. He was still walking onward.

"I'm so sorry, uh, Sesshoumaru-san," Nobu said. "So are you able to hear Himitsu now?" At that, Sesshoumaru stopped.

"My lord, what is it?" Jaken asked, who apparently recovered from Nobu's blows fast.

"I sensed them," the dog demon said. Nobu and Jaken looked confused at first.

All of a sudden a bunch of black "snakes" appeared.

"I see. So this is how it will be, eh?" Sesshoumaru said. He then jumped up and let out his power whip. A few "snakes" disappeared as a result.

"Fire, my staff!" Jaken yelled, letting out a stream of fire from the old man's head.

"Get out of my way!" Nobu yelled, hitting the "snakes" with his shakujou and putting a few o-fudas on another few. "They don't seem to be real!"

"Even so, they may still have poison!" Jaken yelled. This caught Sesshoumaru's attention.

'If that's so, then I can just-' Sesshoumaru started to think when his power whip disappeared and let his own claws do the fighting.

"My lord!" Jaken cried out when he saw Sesshoumaru launch himself into the "snakes."

"Sesshoumaru-san!" Nobu yelled. He then saw the dog demon standing in a puddle of poison. "Ah!"

"Sesshoumaru-sama, are you okay?" Jaken questioned.

"I'm fine, Jaken," Sesshoumaru said. Nobu saw him clench his fists. They were oozing green.

"Is your master capable of making his own poison?" Nobu asked the imp.

"There is no poison that my lord cannot overcome!" Jaken said. Nobu saw that Sesshoumaru wasn't being affected by the poison despite being in the middle of it.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, you must defeat Himitsu!" the boy said, running to him. "There is no other person that could kill him without-"

"Stop running!" the dog demon yelled. Nobu stopped- right before he reached the puddle of poison. With his shakujou, Nobu managed to get a good hold on himself. The puddle of poison would have given him great pain, if not kill him outright.

"Come," Sesshoumaru said. He then walked out of the puddle. Jaken and Nobu followed him, trying not to step on any puddle.

"Do you know where Himitsu is now?" Nobu questioned.

"I can smell blood…" Sesshoumaru said. At that, he dashed forward.

"Wait!" Jaken yelled. "An! Un! Let me on you!" Nobu then saw the two-headed dragon, who have been following them.

"Wait for me!" Nobu shouted.

"I'm not letting a priest like you come with me!" Jaken said, shaking his staff at him. "You beat me up and then you demand that I take you? I think not! Go now, An and Un!" The two-headed dragon started to fly away when Nobu took out his sword.

"I think not too!" he said, swinging his sword until the end pointed at Jaken's head. "Holy Sword Shock Single Attack!" A bolt of lightning then came out of it. Jaken felt something behind him and looked back, but it was too late to dodge the attack. Jaken, now paralyzed from the hit, fell off An and Un. The two-headed dragon had to go down to retrieve him, but they had to make a landing because the imp couldn't hold on to him.

"Now I can follow Sesshoumaru-sama," Nobu said, walking toward them. He then saw that An and Un were not complying with him. "I know that I stunned him, but I had to get you back. Sesshoumaru-sama may be my only hope in helping me defeat Himtisu." He then scrapped Jaken to his sash. "Now that is done, will you please let me on? At that, An and Un consented.

"I have never been on a dragon before," Nobu said. "Alright! Give me good luck and lead me to Sesshoumaru-sama!" He then grabbed onto the reins as the two-headed dragon went off.

Elsewhere, Sesshoumaru knew that it had to be her.

'Rin…' the dog demon thought. 'If he touched even a hair of yours…' He stopped before a large cave. Sesshoumaru then emitted a low growl.

Just then, a bunch of "snakes" appeared before him.

"So he sent the cavalry first, huh?" the dog demon said to himself. He then jumped up and slashed them into bits.

"Now will you come out?" Sesshoumaru asked.

All of a sudden a big snakelike form appeared from the cave. It then opened its mouth, filled with fangs, and looked at him with its red eyes.

"Himitsu…so you finally showed your true self, huh?" Sesshoumaru said.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, I'm going to swallow you whole!" Himitsu said. At that, he tried to reach Sesshoumaru with his mouth, but of course Sesshoumaru went back.

"You think you can swallow me, huh?" Sesshoumaru said. He then unleashed his power whip, which hit Himitsu. The great snake demon let out a mighty cry. "Our blood duel begins now!"

In the meantime, Nobu was searching for Sesshoumaru.

"Where is he? Oh, I see Himitsu! He's that big in his real form?" Nobu said. "Ah, I see Sesshoumaru-sama too! I got to help him!" An and Un then landed behind the dog demon.

"Are you finished yet?" Sesshoumaru asked Himitsu, seemingly unaware of the new arrival. "If that is the case, I'm disappointed, considering how you once challenged my father." He then grabbed Toujikin. "I'll end this now."

"I don't know what Sesshoumaru-sama is going to do, but Himitsu isn't dead yet!" Nobu said, taking out his own sword again. "If I can only stun him for a few minutes, then that should be enough for Sesshoumaru-sama to strike him dead." He then strike his own sword on the ground. "HOLY SWORD SHOCK ATTACK!" But instead of going to Himitsu, the attack went to Sesshoumaru!

"NO!" Nobu yelled. Sesshoumaru turned back, but it was too late before the attack hit him.

End of Chapter Eleven

Just two more chapters to go! I'm so excited! I'm also happy that a few new reviewers liked my story! Since my story only has two more chapters to go, please make your comments and/or questions either now or in the next chapter, as I'll not be able to respond in the last chapter (unless you want a personal response). In any event, I hope you enjoy this chapter and the next two as well. Inu-Yasha was created by Rumiko Takahashi. Please don't forget to review!


	13. Final Climax

**Chapter Thirteen of "To Be Human: Prelude" by Melinda-chan**

This is the next-to-last chapter, and I like to thank all of those who has reviewed so far! It's nice to see that this story has gotten a little batch of loyal readers! Next chapter will also have review responses, mini-bio and author notes. Please read more at the end of the story.

Now for the next-to-last time, let this chapter begin!

"No!" Nobu yelled in horror as he saw his attack go to Sesshoumaru instead of Himitsu as he planned. But he wasn't as horrified as the dog demon himself.

For Sesshoumaru couldn't move at all.

Himitsu, in the meantime, having recovered from the attack that Sesshoumaru made, looked back to see who just saved him.

"You!" Himitsu shouted as he saw Nobu standing there, still looking very confused. "You sssave me?" Nobu then looked up at the sky and saw that Himitsu was staring down at him in his colossal form.

"I see that you're still alive," Nobu said. "I shall now strike you with everything I got!" He then swung his sword around. "This is for Father, all the other priests and everyone else that you killed! Holy Sword Shock- ack!" Nobu then felt someone tugging at his sash.

It was Jaken, who having regained his mobility, is now trying to loosen Nobu's sash with his staff.

"What are you-" Nobu started to ask.

"I'm not going to be killed because of you!" Jaken said. "I'm getting away before he kills you…and me with you!"

"I'm not going to lose to him!" Nobu said. "My anger wouldn't be sated until he's dead!" He then saw Himitsu ready to strike him. Nobu raised his sword and then struck it on the ground. "HOLY SWORD ULTIMATE ATTACK!"

All of a sudden a great ball of light came from the wave that the sword caused when he struck it on the ground. Himitsu looked at it in horror as it now came to him.

"What is- ahhhh!" Himitsu yelled as the ball of light hit him. He let out a mighty cry, and when the light finally vanished, so did he.

"Did I kill him?" Nobu said. He then felt Jaken hitting his legs. "What are you doing?"

"Let me go!" Jaken said. "I demand that you set me free!"

'Good riddance too,' Nobu thought. He then loosened his sash, so Jaken could be free. He then turned at Nobu, who was now running toward the cave.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Jaken shouted. "What did you do to Sesshoumaru-sama?" At that, Nobu stopped and looked back at him.

"I failed to point my sword directly at Himitsu, that's all," Nobu said. "Sesshoumaru-sama will be alright though. Send my apologies to him." At that, Nobu ran back to the cave.

"What about apologies to ME?" Jaken shouted, but Nobu was already in the cave. Jaken then turned to his still-stunned lord. "Sesshoumaru-sama are you okay?" He then ran to him. "Are you able to move at all?"

The dog demon slowly brought himself off the ground. He then sat up.

"Where is the boy?" Sesshoumaru asked in a low voice.

"He went to the cave, my lord," Jaken answered. "With Himitsu gone, it should be easy for that priest boy to find Rin for us."

"Himitsu isn't dead yet," Sesshoumaru said. "I can still feel his presence."

"But if he's not dead-" Jaken started to say.

In the meantime, Nobu was still walking inside the cave and coughing all the while.

'If Himitsu's dead, why is the poison not lifting?' Nobu thought. 'I got to find Rin-chan and get out of here or we'll die for sure!' He then struggled to walk on, but had to stop to vomit.

'I'm getting worse,' Nobu thought. 'I'll die a slow death if I'm not fast enough!' He felt his vision go double.

"I got to keep moving!" Nobu said out loud. He then ran forward.

'If I'm going to die, then I'll die knowing that Rin-chan's safe!' Nobu thought. He was now sweating greatly and his breathing was getting more erratic.

He then saw a long-haired girl lying on the floor. She had her eyes closed and she wasn't moving, but Nobu recognized her.

"RIN-CHAN! I'M HERE!" Nobu yelled.

"Nobu-sama?" Rin said, opening her eyes.

"Rin-chan, you're safe," Nobu said. He then fell down atop of her. "Thank Amida Buddha!"

"Nobu-sama! Why are you here? You'll get poisoned!" Rin said.

"It's too late for me," Nobu said, struggling to breathe. "I don't know how long I have, but I'm dying."

"You're dying?" Rin said. "Himitsu didn't-"

"I defeated him," Nobu told her, gasping. "I don't know if I killed him or not. But it doesn't matter. Even if I go out now, I'll die."

"Nobu-sama…" Rin said. She then thought of something. "My lord is very powerful. He'll heal you."

"It's too late for me, Rin-chan," Nobu said softly.

"He can rise you from the dead!" Rin said. "He's all powerful!"

"Not even Amida Buddha can do that," Nobu said. His eyes were half-closed now.

"I know he can do that!" Rin said. "Because he did it to me!" At that, Nobu looked up at her. "I was killed by wolves- I know I died- but he saved me." She then stood up. "I'll go and get him right away, Nobu-sama." But then he grabbed her kimono.

"Don't…leave…me…Rin…chan…" Nobu said very slowly. Rin went down and held him in her small arms.

"I led a pure life," Nobu said, coughing. "I know that Himitsu will be defeated. I can go to the Pure Land without any regrets on that." He then coughed again, but with blood. "But I don't want to die alone. Your lord, is he near?"

"I don't know…" Rin replied. "But if he senses that I'm nearby, then he'll find me."

"Your lord will die in this poison," Nobu said, barely trying to keep his eyes open.

"As I said, my lord is all powerful," Rin said. "He can't get affected by the poison like you can. At least that's why I think I'm not getting affected." She then looked down. "Nobu-sama?"

"You-You and your lord are no ordinary people," Nobu said. His voice sounded very weak. He rested his head against her knees. "Tell Fumie-chan I'm sorry." He then closed his eyes.

"Sorry? Sorry for what?" Rin asked him, but she got no response. She then looked down and saw that he wasn't moving. "NOBU-SAMA!"

Rin laid him down on the floor and went over him. She couldn't hear anything from him- he was dead.

"NOBU-SAMA!" Rin cried. Flashbacks of the past two weeks came into her mind- the night that he rescued her, making Japanese characters, the tea ceremony, him telling her about his beliefs, his grandmother telling her what happened to his father, her telling him about Sesshoumaru, meeting Hanae, his smile- all of it happened because of him.

"NOBU-SAMA!" Rin screamed, once more. She then coughed. "The poison must be getting to me now! I got to get us out of here!" She then picked Nobu up but found out that his sword was a bit too heavy for her. Thus, she removed the sword and put it on the cave floor. She then picked him up and ran, coughing as she did so.

"My lord, are you okay now?" Jaken asked outside in the meantime.

"I think so," Sesshoumaru replied. He then got up slowly.

"I'm so glad that you can move again!" Jaken said. "Maybe we can find Himitsu and- what is it, Sesshoumaru-sama?" He then saw that Sesshoumaru was looking back at the cave.

All of a sudden, Rin came out, trying to hold Nobu in her small arms. At once, Sesshoumaru knew the reason for her distress.

"My lord, is he-he?" Jaken started to inquire.

"Yes he is" Sesshoumaru said. He then walked to her.

"Please help him!" Rin said between sobs. "Can you make him live again?" She then let out a few more tears. "Please?"

Normally, the dog demon would try to stop her from crying, but he knew that it wouldn't work now. He looked down at the body. The boy must have known this would happen, but he refused to die without trying to rescue Rin. He'll deal with Himitsu later, but he'll not allow him the satisfaction of killing whoever he chose.

All of a sudden Sesshoumaru felt Tenseiga pulsing. He looked back at Jaken and Rin.

"Jaken, go back to the village!" the dog demon commanded. "I'll take care of the boy."

"Will you revive him?" Rin questioned.

"Go and see if he comes back," Sesshoumaru said. "When you do, you must tell him goodbye."

"I understand" Rin said. She then looked at Jaken. "Let's go now."

"Do you want me to return here, my lord?" Jaken inquired.

"Take An and Un to the forest and wait for me," the dog demon commanded. "At once!"

"Yes my lord!" Jaken said. He then turned to Rin. "Come now!"

"Yes Jaken-sama," Rin said. They then promptly got on the two-headed dragon and flew away. Sesshoumaru now turned his attention to the dead boy.

'Himitsu…' Sesshoumaru thought. 'You think you have the power to decide who should live and who should die?' He then took out Tenseiga. He saw the 'messengers' crawling all over Nobu's body. 'Let me show you, Himitsu, the meaning of true power!' At that, he swiped his healing sword above Nobu's body, destroying the 'messengers.' The dog demon then went down, hoping that it wasn't too late.

A second later, Nobu opened his eyes.

"Did I just die?" Nobu said. He then looked up and saw Sesshoumaru. "Sesshoumaru-sama!"

"Call me Sesshoumaru," the dog demon said. The priest boy got up and bowed to him.

"Yes, ah, Sesshoumaru," Nobu said.

"A girl named Rin took you out of the cave," Sesshoumaru said. "You're lucky that she was there or you might have been dead for real."

"Was I not dead then?" Nobu asked.

"Did you see anything after you die?" Sesshoumaru inquired.

"No, that you mention it," Nobu replied. Sesshoumaru then looked away.

"You should go back to the village," the dog demon said. "That girl should be there by now." At that, the boy smiled.

"Thank you so much!" Nobu said. "I don't know how much I can pay you." Sesshoumaru started to walk away.

"I don't accept favours from humans," the dog demon said. "But if I were you, I would watch out for Himitsu. He is weak, but his ferocity will likely have not changed."

"Yes! See you later, Inu-yo!" Nobu said. He then left for the village.

'That was interesting,' Sesshoumaru thought.

"Rin?" Fumie said as she saw Rin walking back to the village. She then saw that she was the only one there. "Where's Nobu-sama?" She then saw that Rin was crying. "Don't tell me he's- he's-" Rin then hugged her, crying. "Rin, what happened? Answer me!" Rin only burst forth more tears.

'He didn't-' Fumie thought fearfully when all of a sudden they heard footsteps.

"Rin-chan, Fumie-chan, are you both well?" Nobu's voice caused them to look back. Rin smiled.

"NOBU-SAMA!" They both ran to him. He put his arms around them.

"Rin-chan, Fumie-chan, I'm alright as you can see" Nobu said. He then went to Rin's left ear.

"He saved me," Nobu whispered. At first, Rin looked surprised, but then she closed her eyes and hugged him even more. Nobu then let go.

"Let us go back to the village," Nobu said. "I'm sure that you would want something to eat, Rin-chan. It might be your last meal here."

"You're letting me go?" Rin said, surprised.

"I'm letting you go," Nobu said. "But you can decide when to go. You should go back to the forest when you do. Your lord might be waiting for you." Rin nodded and smiled.

Nobu smiled back.

End of Chapter Thirteen

This is the next-to-last chapter of this story so if any of you have any questions and/or comments, please do so now because I'll not be able to respond at least not in the last chapter. As a treat to my loyal readers, I'm inviting all of you to a party! Nobu and Fumie will be the guests of honour, but you're all invited to come! Please bring your questions, comments and/or fic recommendations too. Here are just a few rules:

Fic recommendations that are going to be listed in the last chapter must be from fics and poems are preferable, but if you want me to look at other works, go ahead and tell me!

T-rated fics maximum, unless the storyline is worth it.

If you want to ask Nobu or Fumie anything, please make sure it's respectful and relevant to what they already know in the story.

I'll accept questions, comments and/or fic recommendations by e-mail and private message as well. If by e-mail, put your preferred name so I know whom is it coming from.

Inu-Yasha was created by Rumiko Takahashi. Please don't forget to review!


	14. Epilogue

****

Chapter Fourteen of "To Be Human: Prelude" by Melinda-chan

I like to thank everyone that has read and reviewed this first part of my story (yes, this is just the prelude). I'm indebted to my small but loyal batch of readers- Rayame325, Kurai, Chocolate-lover1 and Silver-head angel, that have been reading this fic lately. I wished that for anyone else that would be reading this to make one last comment.

While this is the last chapter of this fic, there'll be a continuation called "To Be (Almost) Human", which will have the Inu-Yasha team in it! If you want to know more, I'll be having a preview (I hope that's allowed!) Please tell me what you think of it.

At the end of the story, I'll be having a mini-bio, fic recommendations, author notes and a segment featuring Nobu and Fumie, my two main original characters! I hope that you'll like the party and if you can, bring a friend! Believe it or not, I still get reviews from works that I've done years ago!

Since this is the epilogue, I have nothing else to say. So for the last time, let this chapter begin!

Rin waited until the sun was almost down before she went out.

Rin was in her orange and white kimono again. Toyoka had cleaned and repaired it, so that it looked like it never was damaged. She couldn't believe it when she saw it. She could never repay for all that she and Nobu had done to her. And now Rin was leaving them for the last time.

"Rin-chan…" Nobu spoke. In his hands were a small package wrapped with a small furoshiki. "I like to give you…this. It's for everything."

"You're giving me a farewell gift?" Rin inquired.

"Yes," Nobu replied. "You're leaving, aren't you?"

"Yes" Rin answered. She then saw Nobu's facial expression. Why did he look so uncomfortable? Maybe it was becoming too much for him.

"I like to thank you, Nobu, ah, sama," Rin said.

"Are you really going back to your lord?" Nobu inquired. He sounded concerned.

"Yes I am," Rin said. She then saw his facial expression. "Is something wrong, Nobu-sama?" He seemed to hesitate but finally spoke up.

"How long do you plan on staying with your…lord?" Nobu asked, looking down.

"I don't know," Rin replied.

"I hope that you've made the right decision," Nobu said. "You could stay here. We can train you to become a lady…even give you a husband when you're old enough."

"I need to go," Rin said. She then stopped as if thinking. "Would it be 'abayo' or 'sayonara'?" Rin stood there waiting whether the goodbye would be temporary or permanent.

"Sayonara, Rin-chan," Nobu said. "I don't know if we'll ever meet again, but I sure hope that you don't regret it."

"Sayonara then," Rin said. She then turned around and ran with tears in her eyes.

She didn't want to cry, but she felt like doing so. It wasn't that she knew she might never see him again. It was as if she felt a big gulf suddenly opening between them. No matter what, Rin knew that he'd never accept her demon lord. If that was the case, then she had no choice but to never see him again, lest she wanted trouble between them.

It was in this frame of mind that she entered the forest. She looked around, searching for any sign of Sesshoumaru or Jaken or An and Un.

'I hope I'm not lost' Rin thought. All of a sudden she saw a big shadow come over her. She spun as quickly as she could and then smiled when she saw who it was.

"SESSHOUMARU-SAMA!" Rin shouted. She then jumped up into his arms and tried to hug him with her little arms. The dog demon softly embraced her.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, I was so scared!" Rin cried.

"Did they treat you well?" Sesshoumaru asked.

"Oh yes!" Rin replied. "I mean, not everyone liked me, but I was treated well by most people." Sesshoumaru let her down. She then saw Jaken and An and Un nearby.

"Jaken-sama! An and Un!" Rin said. The two-headed dragon made a loud, grumbling sound like a cat does when its owner had come home. Rin smiled at them.

"Rin! I don't know how many years I lost trying to find you!" Jaken said a little flustered. "You're just lucky that Sesshoumaru-sama has a very good nose or I might be in real trouble!"

"It's good to see you too, Jaken-sama," Rin said. This caused Jaken to groan. She then turned to An and Un.

"An and Un! I'm so happy to see you again!" Rin said. The two-headed dragon responded by rubbing their snouts against her, purring like a happy cat.

"I'm back! I'm back! I'm back!" Rin said out loud. Sesshoumaru watched as she went around them in a joyful manner.

"Let's go," Sesshoumaru said. At that, Rin stopped and looked at him.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" Rin said.

"Yes Rin?" Sesshoumaru said. Rin then looked at the gift in her hands. She then looked up at him again.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, can you teach me to read and write?" Rin asked. He tried not to look shocked.

"Do you really think you're old enough to do it?" the dog demon asked. "It wouldn't be easy."

"I know, but…" Rin started to say. She then shook her head. "But I want to be able to read and write! I mean, you know how to read and write, right?" Sesshoumaru looked at her for a few more minutes before turning to Jaken.

"Jaken, when we get settled down, teach Rin how to read and write," the dog demon commanded.

"Do you really think she's old enough, my lord?" Jaken asked.

"You can teach her the simple characters first," Sesshoumaru said.

"If you believe so…" Jaken started to say.

"Now let's go," Sesshoumaru said. The group, including An and Un, started walking.

"Where are we going?" Rin asked.

"Somewhere far away from here," Sesshoumaru answered. "And where we could get a good bath."

"Like a hot spring, my lord?" Jaken asked.

"A cold spring, to be more precise," Sesshoumaru said.

"Oh!" Jaken said. Rin just smiled. She may have to come to another human village to learn to be a human again, but for now, she was content to be with her demon lord for now.

Not far away, Nobu and Toyoka were overlooking an altar that was being built. Nobu stood there, holding a bunch of prayer beads in his hands.

"Do you really think that this is a good idea?" his grandmother asked.

"I don't know any other way to thank him for my life" Nobu said. Fumie then came to him.

"So you really are making an altar for him?" Fumie said. "It's awfully big."

"It's not as big as the Amida Buddha one, but it's up there, to be for sure," Nobu said. They all then watched as the men put the red torii (gate) in front of it.

"Father wants to talk to you" Fumie said. "He said that he's interested in making Sesshu into our patron kami."

"I'll be glad to talk to him about it" Nobu said. He then smiled at his fiancée. "Why don't we go together?" At that, she smiled.

"I'll watch over the men," Toyoka said. "Take care, Nobu, Fumie." At that, Nobu gave her his prayer beads and left with Fumie.

'Still I wonder about Rin' Toyoka thought. 'May Amida Buddha watch over her until she's ready to be a woman.' The men then started placing the white dog statues beside the altar.

The End (how I love writing that!)

All I can say is finally! This was just a prelude (hence the title) but this still required a lot of work- both in writing and in research. Writing an Inu-Yasha story required me to have knowledge of Japanese mythology, religion, culture and a little bit of history. Since there are no Japanese families where I live (the only sushi restaurant in the area is owned by a Korean couple), most of the information I had to get was from books, magazines and websites, aside from anime and manga. My main focus, however, was on religion, in particular, Amida Buddhism.

In Amida Buddhism, much like Catholicism, repeated prayers and idol worship form an integral part of their worship. Amida Buddha was said to be an incarnation of Siddhartha Gautama himself, who reside over the Pure Land, a form of heaven where blessed souls are said to dwell. All a person has to do is recite three words "Namu Amida Buddha" (roughly translated as "in the name of Amida Buddha") as many times during the day. Amidist groups are divided on whether blessings can only be obtained in the hereafter or not. Of the latter, Tenryu is the most well-known.

While I did research for my story, I looked up information on such things as the kesa and the shakujo (as it's more commonly spelled in English). The kesa, of course, is the robe that Buddhist priests wear. The design is pretty much the same as Miroku's, but the colour of the robe was usually brown, though other dark colours except black was used too. The shakujo was a houshi's (travelling Buddhist priest) walking stick. It was used not just as a walking stick but also to deter animals as well as a weapon as Miroku himself had shown. Some houshis even used a two-piece shakujo so that the end of the first piece would hold a concealed knife, which he can use to stab someone. The rings of the shakujo was supposed to symbolize wisdom- two rings represent a novice while six rings represent a very wise and experienced houshi- not surprisingly, the six-ringed shakujo was the most popular. While houshis aren't as common as they were in the past, monks still put on a houshi outfit while on trips, as most people in Japan still recognize the houshi outfit, and some will even give a donation though most monks are self-sufficient nowadays.

As anyone who watched the Inu-Yasha anime or read the Inu-Yasha manga know, Japanese mythology is filled with all kinds of otherworldly creatures like kami in it. "Kami" basically means "god," but it can mean anything of a divine nature, or at least supposed to be, like government or ancestors (called okami). In fact, in a land in which millions of gods are worshipped (traditionally eight million!), there's no real word for "God"- though "Kami-sama" is used. "Kami" is specifically used to mean nature gods, like kitsunes, that can control the forces of nature. Nobu may have thought that Sesshoumaru, being a beast demon, was one. Kappas are water kami- they cannot live without being in water, and their favourite food are cucumbers, which has lots of water in it

Chanoyu or the Japanese tea ceremony, has its roots in China, but like many other things, have been modified for Japanese tastes. It usually takes place in a teahouse, and the whole ritual can last a few hours, which is more than some people can sit down for. Nonetheless, chanoyu is regarded as a fine art in Japan, and many men and women go to classes- one can even get a certificate in chanoyu. You can search on the Internet for more information for more information, but be sure to put "chanoyu" in the search bar, or you'll get information on tea ceremonies from China, Korea, Britain and other places too.

If you're interested, I recommend the book by Victoria Ricciardi called "Untangling My Chopsticks: A Culinary Sojourn in Kyoto". Not only is it a good read on the tea ceremony in modern Japan, but it also information on kaiseki, the food that goes with it, and is regarded as the highest standard of food preparation in Japan, similar to "haute cuisine" in France. It also gives a foreigner's view of this art. If your local library has it or it is on its catalogue, I recommend that you get it and read it.

The reason why I made this prelude (you did remember that this was just a prelude?) was to introduce Nobu and a few of the other characters that will play a part in my main story "To Be Human." I have read many Rin-centric stories, usually with Sesshoumaru, but I want to write a story based on Rin herself. How would a child who wasn't raised by humans really be like? What about when she grows older? I've read both real and fictional accounts of people that were adopted or captured by other tribes, and when the chance to go back home came, they refused. They were now part of their new tribe and have lost all connections with their old one, if they remember it at all. I wonder how Rin will be like when she grows up- which side will she choose? Her dilemma really isn't any different than Inu-Yasha's.

Welcome to the party section!

I had invited all my readers to a party celebrating my last chapter. I hope everyone will have a good time! And yes, I did invite Nobu and Fumie, like I said I would.

Nobu: Where's the festival?

Fumie: I don't hear any music.

Melinda-chan: Uh, let's see…(gets a CD featuring Caribbean music and plays it) How's that?

Nobu: What sort of musical instruments can sound like the ocean?

Fumie: I bet she's really a water demon and is using her magic to recreate the ocean through that thing. Nobu-sama, why don't you try to destroy her?

Melinda-chan: What?!

Nobu: I don't think that would be appropriate, Fumie-chan. She did invite us here after all.

Fumie: Hmph.

Melinda-chan: Uh, I assure you that I'm no demon, well, I'm human. In any case, I got a couple of questions for you two.

Nobu: Oh?

Melinda-chan: Yes. Actually they're from Rayame325.

Fumie: Who the heck is Rayame325?

Melinda-chan: Rayame325 is a good reviewer of mine.

Nobu: A reviewer?

Melinda-chan: Uh, Rayame325 has the first questions to Nobu. It is, "What do you think of Sesshoumaru, and did you tell Fumie about him yet?"

Fumie: Who is this Sesshoumaru?

Nobu: (sweatdrops): Uh, er, he did save my life, so I am grateful. I still don't know how he managed to get her, though.

Fumie: WHO IS THIS SESSHOUMARU?

Nobu: He's, uh, Rin's lord.

Fumie: Really? What does he look like?

Nobu: He…has, uh, white hair…

Melinda-chan: I think that answers the second part of the question. By the way, Rayame325, thank you for reviewing my Naruto and Fullmetal Alchemist fics as well. Fumie, I got a question for you.

Fumie: What is it?

Melinda-chan: What do you think of Rin now?

Fumie (turns to Nobu): Is she gone now?

Nobu: Um, yes, as far as I know…

Fumie: She's okay.

Nobu: Is there any other comments or questions?

Melinda-chan: Silver-head angel said that it's cute.

Nobu: What's cute?

Melinda-chan: She didn't say.

Fumie: Is that all?

Melinda-chan: That's all for the last few chapters. If anyone want to know how I replied to previous chapters, check Chapter Ten of this story. Now that I did the questions, let me introduce myself.

Name: Melinda-chan (you know my real name if I sent you an e-mail- the sender's name is my real name).

Location: Nova Scotia, Canada

Occupation: On-and-off volunteer with the Canadian Mental Health Association, job seeker

Hobbies: Reading, writing, cooking, watching TV, computers, and of course anime and manga

Favourite Foods: Pizza! I also can't live without root beer.

Favourite Animes (beside Inu-Yasha): Digimon series, Fruits Basket, Fullmetal Alchemist, .hack series, D.N. Angel, Spiral, Oh My Goddess, Zatch Bell!, Peacemaker, Evangelion, MAR and probably a few others I can't think of now.

Favourite Mangas (beside Inu-Yasha): Fruits Basket, Fullmetal Alchemist, Ranma 1/2, Oh My Goddess, Rurouni Kenshin, Buso Renkin, Kimagure Orange Road, D N Angel, Naruto, Zatch Bell and probably a few others I can't think of now.

Favourite Characters: Rin, Shippo, Inu-Yasha and Kohaku (Inu-Yasha), Kyo, Momiji, Hatsuharu, Ayame and Manabe (Fruits Basket), Alphonse, Scar, Mei and Ed (Fullmetal Alchemist), Matt, Ken, Koji, Koichi, Gatomon, Wormmon and Impmon (Digimon), Sakura (Naruto), Daisuke and With (D N Angel), Skuld (Oh My Goddess), Kosuke and Hiyono (Spiral).

That's all for my mini-bio. If you want to know more about my life, you can check my journal under "CurlerGirl" or my TOKYOPOP blog under "Melinda-chan" at my profile link. You can find all about my semi-boring life and see what I do besides writing fanfiction!

You may also want to know about my work habits as well as a few other things. So here it goes:

My work habits aren't organized. I write first on paper, and depending on the number of fics I'm doing, a chapter can take a few weeks to a few months. Most of the chapters of this story took a month to do, though editing and typing of course took longer. I take great pride in my work, and after I'm through with a chapter, I staple it, put it in a paper protector and then put it in a binder. (I already got three). This makes it easier to edit, and I can see how long each chapter is. I highly recommend that if you don't write on paper to print it out or save it in a disk for backup reasons.

As for tools and supplies, I take advantage of the annual back-to-school sale in August and buy lots of paper, pencils, erasers, and other things I need for the year. I use mechanical pencils because they're much easier to use than regular pencils and they don't break when I try to sharpen them. I se vinyl erasers because they're cleaner.

"To Be Human: Prelude" was published in 2004. I use a Dell computer with Word '97, which still works very well. My first fanfiction work was "The Dark Ocean of My Mind," a Digimon poem that was published way back in 2001, when still had original fiction and lemons. My poem "A Place To Belong" was the first Inu-Yasha work that I published in 2004. I followed that up with "Kon'ichi's Story," "To Be Human: Prelude," and "Two is Trouble," which is a tie-in with this story. "To Be (Almost) Human" will be the sequel if people wants it.

Now that you know something about my fanfiction career, I can go to my other notes:

A few of the names for the characters of my story had a reason: "Himitsu" means "secret" in Japanese, which would be ideal for a snake, "Nobu" means "faith" and Fumie, well, because she fumes. Most of the other names are also common names, whether in the past or present.

"To Be Human: Prelude" Chapter Notes:

Chapter One

This fic starts with Rin and Jaken alone in the forest, where Himitsu the great snake demon attacked Rin. Himitsu was styled after a garden snake but acted more like a cobra. After Rin was poisoned and Jaken was knocked unconscious, Nobu appeared. Nobu has a sword that used a "Holy Sword Shock Attack" to stun demons, which he can then kill with his sword. Since rosary beads and paper talismans (o-fudas) have a special power to deflect anything demonic in Inu-Yasha, Nobu would've lots of them. "Ku ku ku," which Himitsu uttered, is a typical villainous laugh in anime and manga. Naraku also uses this sound effect- it's a way of showing that a person has evil intentions to someone without saying a word.

Chapter Two

"Namu Amida Buddha," the prayer that Nobu said, is an essential part of Amidism, much like "Ave Maria" is for Catholicism. It was believed to guarantee entrance into the Pure Land, where Amida Buddha rules. This takes place after Kohaku tried to kill Rin, which I believe was in episode 81 of the anime. I've included a little bit on Himitsu's history in case you wanted to know how Sesshoumaru knew about Himitsu. The snake demon was a rival of power to Sesshoumaru's father, but was defeated, who then decided to hide for a while. A humourous, but canonical part is when Sesshoumaru kicked Jaken off An and Un only for him to fall on the barrier. Nobu created the barrier by posting o-fudas on four strategic stakes at the corner of the village (Nobu did this on all the villages threatened by Himitsu).

Chapter Three

Ah, the black snakes! I didn't have a word for them, though "shadow snakes" or "illusion snakes" works well. They're basically illusions but Himitsu can transmit some of his venom to them, as Sesshoumaru found out the hard way. I made a blunder- I meant to say his left shoulder was bitten. The venom would've spread very quickly throughout his body (some of the most poisonous snakes can kill in a matter of minutes!), which would paralyzed him. I think Tenseiga would still protect him from death, but he would totally be exhausted by the ordeal. After all, if poison could kill him, you think he would be dead by now!

Chapter Four

I typed the entire chapter in bold without realizing it! Gomen nasai!

Aside from that blooper, this chapter tells about Nobu's status in the village. Despite his age, he would've had a prominent position in the village. The honorifics used by most people- either "Obou-sama" or "Nobu-sama" would indicate that Nobu had a superior position and very high honour and respect (though Miroku uses "sama" to all the girls he knows). Since Toshiki is the village headman, he doesn't need to use any honorific to him, though the lack of any honorific doesn't mean disrespect- Kagome never calls Inu-Yasha anything but his name, probably to keep their relationship ambigious.

Nobu's arranged marriage to Fumie is called "omiai" in Japan, and is still fairly common in Japan even now. A go-between (matchmaker) would be hired and conduct interviews with any marriage prospects, though sometimes a relative or family friend may do this. Once both sides agree on the conditions, then the couple will have to agree with the terms, though sometimes they may be able to judge by a picture of him or her or by observing the other in secret. Most of the time, the couple has the right to refuse. In many cases, the bride and groom may only meet for the first time on the wedding day or a few days before.

In modern Japan, both omiai and Western-style marriages (called "love marriages") are considered legitimate. In fact, the government has recently subsidized many matchmaking services in order to boost the birth rate. However, many women, in an effort to get good jobs, are delaying marriage until later in life, and the divorce rate is no different than in many Western countries. See Chapter Ten for more information.

Chapter Five

Jaken's first encounter with the women from the village- I had to find a way to get the people to realize that Jaken and Sesshoumaru were in the area. A yutaka is a long shirt that's worn like a kimono. As for Japanese writing, there are a few Japanese/English dictionaries on the Internet, though the one by linear. is the best in my opinion. I also got help from the early Shonen Jump magazines. As for the meaning of Rin, you got me. "Rin" has many meanings, and even Chris Rijk didn't know what meaning Rumiko Takahashi had in mind. I thought that "companion" was the appropriate meaning. I based the kanji for "Rin" from the online dictionary. When Nobu collapsed, he did the "Takahashi pose", which the Ranma 1/2 characters did a lot and which I noticed at least a few times in Inu-Yasha. It always happened when someone's in pain or in shock- I thought it would look canonical.

Chapter Six

I used both Chris Rijk's text translations and the Viz manga as a basis for the flashbacks and I like to thank them both of them. It was still a bit hard to go into Sesshoumaru's head, but I hope that I got him down pat (though we all know how he truly feels about Rin, right?) This is also the first time that Nobu sees Sesshoumaru, though they didn't actually meet yet.

Chapter Seven

Rin's dream of being abandoned was a nightmare that I thought would reflect on Rin very well- nothing scares anyone more than being totally abandoned, and Rin knows how that feels. A daimyo is a Japanese warlord, of which Oda Nobunaga and Ieyasu Tomigawa were the most well-known during the latter Sengoku Jidai period (1550-1600), of which Inu-Yasha was partly based on. The struggles between the daimyos were mostly responsible for the ongoing wars that marked that period. Not surprisingly, the general populace didn't like them or some of the samurai that worked for them. The story of Himitsu was the one that I worked the most up to this point. After Inu-Taisho, the Dog General, banished Himitsu from his domain, he came here and tried to take over the area. This was the first time that Nobu heard about Sesshoumaru, at least partly. A kesa is a Buddhist robe. Since Nobu was still a boy when he became a priest, he had his tailor-made from his father's robe. I should also mention that the Japanese hour system: in feudal Japan, the day was divided in twelve two-hour periods, named after the twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac. Hence, an hour is really two of our hours. The Hour of the Rat, the first hour, begins at 11:00 p.m. and goes every two hours until the 24 hours is up (as opposed to the 12-hour system some countries use). The old system is still understood by many Japanese.

Chapter Eight

The book of tea by Kakuzo Okakura was the first dealing with chanoyu (the Japanese tea ceremony) that became well-known in the West. He actually wrote it in rebuttal of the West, which he felt was eroding his native country's values, but it was still an influential book. Chanoyu, the tea ceremony, came from China, where Zen Buddhists formed it to fit their own beliefs. The rules for chanoyu was finalized in the 16th century and while there are variations, depending on the season and region, the ritual basically follows some strict guidelines. I was lucky enough to find a website that had a diagram of a chashitsu (teahouse) so I could get the description right. In a small village, a chashitsu would be modest. A small door would be at the front, so that the guests would enter in a kneeling position, which they would remain until the ceremony is over (which can take hours). The host or hostess will enter from the back door, with all of the utensils that weren't already there already. Chanoyu is supposed to show grace, balance and focus, and influenced by Zen Buddhism, harmony between everyone and the rest of the world. While teamasters can only be men, chanoyu is practiced by both sexes as an art and receives the support of the government. There are hundreds of chanoyu schools in Japan and a few even exist outside of Japan, such as New York City.

Chapter Nine

An and Un (which is more correctly spelled Ah and Un, but no one seemed to notice or care) is the only one of Sesshoumaru's crew that hasn't died and revived by Tenseiga yet so I had Himitsu (via the shadow snakes) kill An and Un, so Sesshoumaru can revive them. Taking off An and Un's armour is similar to the first step of committing seppuku, the Japanese ritual of suicide. It was here that I pondered whether it was possible for Tenseiga to revive someone twice (I later found out the answer, which I'll reveal under Chapter Twelve). This chapter was the saddest so far, but at least it ended happily. A blood duel is a duel to the death, thus showing that Sesshoumaru was really mad at what Himitsu did. Maybe because An and Un don't talk, but they have been neglected by writers and I wanted to correct this my own way. Sesshoumaru now await for Himitsu…

Chapter Ten

"Wild Child," the chapter title, refers to a feral child that was either abandoned or separated from their family and was left in his/her own in the wild. Rin, of course, is far from being a feral child. But even if other humans accept Sesshoumaru as her guardian, will they still see her as a wild child or a civilized human being?

Hanae finally appears in this chapter. She's one of the most tragic characters I've ever made, and I included a bit of a backstory to convey the sense of tragedy in her tale. In case you've forgotten, Hanae was the woman that lost her newlywed husband to Himitsu. She prays to Amida Buddha and was very kind to Rin- not so of Fumie.

One reviewer described Fumie as a "bitch," which is what I exactly wanted her to be seen. If Nobu didn't appear to diffuse the situation, Rin and Fumie would've likely gone into a fight, and Rin would've been expelled from the village. Rin's pride is a reflection of the dog demon himself. She didn't like to be called a beast and being a servant of anyone but Sesshoumaru is unthinkable for her. This is the turning point of the story, in which living in the village is now shattered for Rin and gives her the motive to find Sesshoumaru on her own.

I included review responses for this chapter. I should point out that Spiritual Wolf hasn't reviewed this story at all, and that I haven't heard of SereneDolphin for a while (hope nothing happened to her!) I like to express my appreciation for all the reviews that I've received so far.

Chapter Eleven

Rin gets lost! I decided to make this into a filler chapter, which would eventually prepare for the action to come. I turned to Japanese mythology for this chapter- man-eating crows is a homage of course to the second Inu-Yasha episode, and kappas and tengus are traditional Japanese demons that are said to prey on lost children and lost travellers respectively. I also put in this chapter Rin's POV on her first contact with Sesshoumaru. He was probably the first person to pay any real attention to her since her parents died, even if it was just to ask her about her face.

"Kyuuri" means cucumber in Japanese. I don't think there was ever a river by that name, though to a kappa, would that really matter? The tengu scene was inspired by an Usagi Yojimbo book (I forgot which volume) in which the main character as a kid was challenged to a fight by a tengu, or give up his right hand. The fight only ended when he showed his bravery and the tengu, impressed, allowed him the victory. By the way, the weapon that Kohaku uses is indeed a kusarigama.

Chapter Twelve

Nobu's meeting with the dog demon created an air of tension that I quickly erased with Jaken's arrival- the biggest conflict is yet to come. I enjoyed writing the part in which Nobu and Jaken squabbled, with Nobu finally giving him some bumps in the end (Jaken must hate priests by now). Sesshoumaru's indifference to the whole thing, to me, was the high point. I also like the look Nobu gave when he realized that Sesshoumaru was immune to poison. Heh. Jaken sure got a lot of ill-treatment in this chapter, don't you think? Gomen nasai, Jaken, but Nobu can't be deterred from finding Rin. Nobu did help Jaken, though only to get An and Un to ride him. Himitsu showed his true form- it's a good thing that snakes like that big don't exist in the real world! Nobu's sword attack does indeed go to the nearest demon, so he got Sesshoumaru instead! This is the start of the climax of the story.

Chapter Thirteen

The climax continues- Nobu's obsession with killing Himitsu comes to an end (or does it?) despite Jaken's protesting (he was still on his back). Now that's an Inu-Yasha fanfiction moment! I admit that I was lapping it up by then on the Nobu-Jaken squabbles. I then decided to turn it serious. I really wanted to put a more sombre mood as Nobu went inside the cave and ended up dying in Rin's arms. When I was writing this, I was confronted by the possibility that Tenseiga may not revive Rin again if she did die a second time. I've decided to err on the side of caution and have Nobu die instead. (I now know from the manga that my assumption is correct). However, I didn't address the reason why Rin could survive while Nobu died. Oh well. Nobody seemed to notice or care. The ending here was really the best I've ever written so far. It was here that I knew that this fic was the best I've ever completed since 2001, when I started writing on Fourteen

All good things must come to an end, I'm afraid. I'll leave it up to my readers to give their own impression, but I must say that I'm very happy on how it all ended. I know that some of my readers must've been wondering how Nobu will react once he realized who Rin's lord was. Despite being human, Rin decided to leave the village and go back to Sesshoumaru. Nobu, for his part, made Sesshoumaru the protector of the village and erect an altar in his name. As I've said before, this was just a prelude- a very long prelude, but still the prelude. My next installment will be "To Be (Almost Human)." I'll tell you more when it comes out, but it'll not have Rin in it. The main installment "To Be Human" will almost be exclusively on Rin.

Since 2004, I've been reading Inu-Yasha fics and have had a good collection of favourites. A few are on Rin, while others focus on other characters and couplings. Since my whole collection will probably take at least half of this chapter, I've narrowed it down to my top five favourites so far. All of these are either finished or likely to be finished in the near future and all are available on They are:

The Courting of Rin by willow-wisp Rating: T Chapter(s): 8 A swan youkai decides to make Rin his mate. Maybe because I love swans, but I found this fic to be absolutely beautiful. Read it and see if you agree with me.

Eien Ni Nakunatta Shunkan by wicked-oni Rating: M Chapter(s): 24 A story about Sesshoumaru and older Rin, as well as the rest of the characters (Naraku hasn't been defeated yet). Because of its heavily implied sexuality in a few of its chapters, it's not recommended for anyone under 16. But it's still a good Sesshoumaru and older Rin fic.

Makai to Jigoku no Aida by arisu-in-pink Rating: T Chapter(s): 39 This fic has the common "What-if-Inu-Yasha-and-Sesshoumaru-survive-to-the-modern-era" storyline but with a twist of revenge in it. It is long, however, so you can either read it bit by bit or read it when you have lots of time to kill.

If You Need Her by Scribe Figaro Rating: M Chapter(s): 31 One of the best Miroku/Sango fics I've ever read, it starts with Miroku being dead. No, seriously. It gets a bit sexual by the end but if you're old enough to read M-rated fics, then you'll love to read this one.

Buffy the Yokai Slayer by Sharibet Rating: M Chapter(s): 29 This one is unique, not only because it's a Buffy/Inu-Yasha crossover (and a very well-written one), but Sharibet's a real writer. She writes fantasy books and gave me writing tips and always reply to my e-mails, so if you need any writing advice, e-mail her and she'll respond.

Here's my other Inu-Yasha works:

A Place to Belong Rating: K Chapter: 1 This is a poem, my very first Inu-Yasha work. It's from Inu-Yasha and his POV of the world and how most people see him. I thought some people could relate. I actually got very good reviews; a few have reviewed my other works as well.

Kon' ichi's Story Rating T Chapter(s): 9 The Inu-Yasha gang finds a kitsune hanyou being abused and saves him. Now they have to find his mother, but Naraku and a new foe have plans of their own. For all of my efforts, I can't seem to get a consistent fanbase. Read it and see if you like it.

Two is Trouble Rating: M Chapter(s): 6 This is actually the companion piece to "To Be Human" so if you're reading this fic, you should read this one too. It's mainly a Miroku/Sango fic, but a character from the past will change their lives forever. I would like more people reading this. Go and see if you like it or not.

Now here's the preview of "To Be (Almost) Human," the sequel to "To Be Human: Prelude."

"Please come down!" Kagome yelled.

"NO!!!" Inu-Yasha's voice boomed down from the tree.

"It's not that bad!" Kagome yelled.

"Every time this happens, I either ended up almost dying or getting into a fight! Leave me alone!" Inu-Yasha shouted back.

"If you don't come down this instant, I'll say the word!" Kagome warned. That made a dark-haired Inu-Yasha come down fast.

"Are you happy now?" Inu-Yasha asked. Of course, Kagome could've said the word but she feared that if she did, he would get his skull crashed. His human side was now in control. There was no moon in the sky.

"We need to be together," Kagome said. "Since you've lost your youkai powers, we can't be separated." Inu-Yasha responded with a "Keh!" Since he always behaved like that, Kagome went to the others and prepared for a good night's sleep. Inu-Yasha, of course, was as vigilant as ever.

It was around midnight when everyone but Inu-Yasha was asleep. While he did thought of sleeping, his awareness of his human form prevented him from dozing off. Besides, with everyone else asleep, someone has to guard them all.

'If only I can be a pure demon,' he thought. 'I don't have to worry about this anymore.' There was very little to do so Inu--Yasha slowly dozed off- something that he rarely did during the night of the new moon.

A little while later, a snake appeared. It looked first at Kagome. It sensed her spiritual powers and decided to pass on. The snake also passed on Miroku and Sango for obvious reasons.

However, the other human male got its most attention. It appeared to be a full-blooded human male with a beat-up sword in his arms. Still, appearances can be deceiving.

The snake demon made its choice. It then sped rapidly on the ground toward the prey and then bared its fangs and bit.

End of Preview

In case I don't hear from you ever again, I like to thank all who have reviewed this fic. If you do want to know when I upload the first chapter of "To Be (Almost) Human," please let me know. As well, thank you for supporting Inu-Yasha. Just remember, keep on reading and writing!

Melinda-chan (July 8, 2007, 10:32 PM)


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